Russian and African foreign ministers to meet in Sochi in November
Special Representative of the Russian President for
the Middle East and Africa and Russian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs
Mikhail Bogdanov held a meeting at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs with
the heads of diplomatic missions from African states accredited in Moscow as
part of preparations for the first Ministerial Conference of the Russia–Africa Partnership Forum, which will be held at Sirius Federal Territory
in November 2024. The Forum, which is being held to implement decisions taken
at the Second Russia–Africa Summit, is being organized by the Roscongress Foundation.
During the meeting, representatives of the Russian
Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed the African diplomatic corps about the
conference programme, as well as its key organizational, technical, and
protocol issues.
“Today, extensive work is underway to prepare the conference’s business
programme. Representatives of 54 African countries, as well as the heads of
regional and subregional integration associations, have already been invited to
participate, ranging from the African Union to the Southern African Development
Community, the Economic Community of West African States, and others. The Ministerial
Conference of the Russia–Africa Partnership Forum is an important initiative
that aims to intensify comprehensive cooperation between Russia and African
countries in all its dimensions: politics, security, economics, science,
technology, culture, and humanitarian affairs. The declaration adopted at the
Russia–Africa Summit resulted in the establishment of a new dialogue format,
which will meet on a regular basis to exchange views on ways to implement the
entire range of agreements reached with the countries of the African continent.
We firmly believe that the Ministerial Conference in Sochi will be an important
step in developing cooperation between Russia and Africa,” Adviser to the
Russian President Anton Kobyakov said.
The conference will be attended by the heads of the relevant African
ministries and integration associations, representatives of Russian and African
businesses, government agencies, financial institutions, and public and
scientific circles, as well as leading Russian and foreign experts and media
representatives. The discussion will mainly focus on the development of trade
and economic cooperation, investment partnership, joint work in education and
science, ways to strengthen security and regional cooperation, and the
expansion of cooperation between BRICS and African countries.
