Is Moscow going to Central Asia through Africa?
Author: Dzhambolat Sardalov, an expert on geopolitics, religion, and terrorism (Chechnya), especially for "Sangar"
As you know, on July 27 and 28, the second Russia-Africa summit was held in St. Petersburg. It was attended by representatives of 49 out of 54 countries of the continent. 17 African states were represented at the highest level. The rest are in the rank below the leaders of the countries, which was due to undisguised financial and political pressure.
The summit was filled with economic and humanitarian forums. The trinity - politics, economics, and the humanitarian sphere - became the basis of a large forum, and therefore a good foundation for strengthening our ties in the future. The news that Russia has written off $23 billion of debts to African countries was pleasant for African countries. Russian President Vladimir Putin mentioned this in his speech.
An important factor of the summit was the set new pace of the anti-colonial struggle. Unfortunately, Africa is experiencing another round of colonialism from Europe. But this continent is no longer the same as it was in the 50s and 60s of the last century.
At the same time, it should be noted that all the topical issues voiced by Russia were perceived positively by the countries represented at the summit, as expected. Neo-colonialism, Russophobia, illegal sanctions, the "grain deal" and traditional values found a lively response from African politicians. By the way, the Russian initiative on the free supply of fertilizers to the poorest countries in Africa is going live with the topic of the "grain deal". Accordingly, these ties can be unashamedly defined as one of the tools for promoting Russia's interests in the confrontation with the West. If Russia tries to correlate its actions with international law, then the West does not burden itself with legality.
The media in the West actively spread disinformation that the summit had failed. But events, for example, in Niger and the post of anti-Western sentiment in the Central African region testify to the growing fatigue from the hegemony of the colonialists.
Interest in Russia is primarily due to historical reasons. Since the times of the USSR, Africa has felt a strong helping hand in the struggle against colonialism, for the right to live free. In modern Russia, the methodological and legal basis for actions on the aforementioned topic is the new Foreign Policy Concept of the Russian Federation adopted in March 2023, where, along with the obligatory theses about “Western hegemony” and “the world system of colonialism”, Africa is also mentioned.
Grain became a special topic of the dialogue. It is known that before the SMO in 15 African states, more than half of wheat imports were received from Ukraine and/or Russia. The current situation of African countries is also aggravated by the rise in prices for Russian energy resources due to sanctions imposed on exports from Russia. In essence, Russia is signaling as an ally and spokesman for the interests of the Global South. Returning it to the African continent is not only an idea that has matured long ago but also a plan of work. Our sides are clearly defined in common documents as forces striving for: "the establishment of a more just multipolar world and the elimination of socio-economic inequality, which is growing due to the sophisticated neo-colonial policy of a number of developed states towards Africa." Moreover, a number of African states openly indicated their position in their desire to participate in integration blocs together with the Russian Federation (BRICS).
For comparison: at the 2019 summit, hundreds of agreements and memorandums of understanding worth more than 1 trillion rubles (at that time the exchange rate was about $15 billion) were signed, but in reality, little was implemented. This is despite the fact that then Putin set the task of doubling the volume of bilateral trade in the next four to five years. Weakness in the implementation of those agreements was caused not only by Western pressure on African countries but also by the "clumsy" policy of Russia itself. The current summit does not suffer from this "disease": it is more constructive.
Definitely, this experience of Russian-African relations can and should be extrapolated to the nearby Central Asian region. Too much is historically and politically connected in Russia with the above region. Relying on the will of the nations to live in peace and harmony, Russia may well be an integral factor in the long term.
