Afrasianet - The "Russia-Africa Partnership" forum continues its work in Cairo, and Russia affirms its commitment to developing cooperation with African countries and the importance of the continent in global politics, calling for the expansion of economic and security partnership.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Saturday affirmed Russia's commitment to continue developing partnership with African countries and strengthening cooperation in various fields, during the opening of the plenary session of the second ministerial conference of the "Russia-Africa Partnership" forum, held in the Egyptian capital, Cairo.

Putin: Russian-African cooperation is on the rise in security, food and counter-terrorism

Lavrov conveyed a message from Russian President Vladimir Putin to the participants, in which he stressed that African countries have enormous economic and human potential, and play an important role in global politics, pointing to the symbolism of holding the conference in Egypt, which co-chaired the first Russia-Africa summit.

In the text of the letter, Putin explained that Russia has recently intensified its constructive cooperation with African countries in various fields, including supporting national security, tackling food shortages, combating terrorism and extremism, in addition to confronting the effects of natural disasters and serious epidemics, stressing that Moscow attaches great importance to the development of equal and mutually beneficial relations with its African partners.

"The ministerial conference will discuss the implementation of the action plan of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum for the period 2023-2026, as well as identify new areas of cooperation, especially in the sectors of trade, economy and investment, where there is still great untapped potential," the Russian president added.

For his part, Lavrov said that the leaders of the participating countries are pinning high hopes on this meeting in Cairo, expecting constructive decisions and coordinated proposals to expand multifaceted cooperation, pointing out that the volume of trade exchange between Russia and Africa increased last year by 13% to reach about $28 billion, considering that this figure represents the beginning of a broader path of practical partnership.

Lavrov pointed out that the third Russia-Africa summit is scheduled to be held next year, stressing Moscow's intention to present a new draft action plan for 3 years, which includes promising areas to strengthen the partnership.

Egypt: Russia-Africa partnership supports African Union Vision 2063

For his part, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Aty stressed that the "Russia-Africa Partnership" forum constitutes a practical step to implement the 2023-2026 Action Plan, stressing that Egypt believes that this cooperation represents a vital mechanism to support the development agenda and the African Union's Vision 2063.

Abdel Aty added that this partnership would facilitate the establishment of an African Free Trade Area, which would enhance the economic development of African countries, and also make them more resilient in the face of external pressures and attempts to impose conditions on the countries of the continent, stressing that Egypt seeks to build a more just and stable international order based on equality in sovereignty and non-interference in internal affairs.

The conference will discuss current international and bilateral issues, the implementation of the Russia-Africa Forum's action plan, as well as the development of trade, economic and investment cooperation. The second ministerial conference of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum will be held in Cairo on December 19 and 20, with the participation of more than 50 African countries and a wide ministerial presence, as well as a number of heads of regional organizations.

Lavrov: Africa is one of the pillars of the multipolar world order

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says that "the African continent has become one of the main pillars of the emerging multipolar world order."

Speaking about Africa,  Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the African continent "has become one of the main pillars of the emerging multipolar world order, and its role in world politics is expected to continue to escalate during the next phase."

According to the Russian news agency TASS, Lavrov pointed out during the meeting of the Council of Heads of Russian Federal Entities held at the headquarters of the Russian Foreign Ministry that "African countries seek to manage their resources and wealth in a way that serves their national interests in the first place, while at the same time maintaining their openness to international cooperation," noting that "the African continent is playing an increasingly important role in the fields of politics, economy and finance at the global level."

"Africa is the continent of the future because of its enormous natural resources that have not been exploited, until recently, in order to best serve its people," Lavrov said, noting that "the countries of the African continent are waiting to strengthen cooperation with Russia."

He added that partnership with African countries is a key priority in Russia's foreign policy, and Russia's friends in Africa have consistently affirmed their aspiration to expand this cooperation, considering that responding to these expectations is a strategic direction and one of the main pillars of Moscow's foreign policy.

The Russian Foreign Minister also pointed out that "the ministerial conference of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum, scheduled to be held in Cairo on December 19 and 20, will discuss the preparations for the third Russia-Africa summit, scheduled to be held in 2026."

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said earlier in December that the Cairo conference will focus on ways to strengthen trade, economic and investment partnerships between Russia and African countries.

The first ministerial conference of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum was held in Sochi, Russia, on November 9 and 10, 2024.