Four Russian language centers have already been opened in Africa - in South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, and Senegal.
Author: Talib Aliyev, reporter, and analyst, especially for Sangar
Russia and Africa are strengthening cooperation, and many previously reached agreements are being transformed into concrete proposals and projects. The prerequisites for this have been laid over several years.
Let us recall that the first Russia-Africa summit took place in Sochi, Russia back in 2019, and last year, St. Petersburg and Moscow hosted guests from the African continent. The summit in the Northern capital of Russia received 54 delegations, and the event itself was held with the participation of Vladimir Putin. The conference in Moscow brought together 40 delegations from African countries and was parliamentary; negotiations were held with the participation of the State Duma of the Russian Federation.
This level of communication and contacts indicates the degree of attention that Russia pays to strategic partnerships. Work to strengthen it does not stop, and today the parties are ready to sum up interim results and make new plans.
At the beginning of March, a meeting of the Expert Council on the development and support of comprehensive partnerships with African countries was held in the State Duma of the Russian Federation. The round table participants noted the high potential of our relations.
“We support African countries, establish partnerships, spread the Russian language and culture. Four language centers have already been opened - in South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, and Senegal. In addition, Russia is investing in the infrastructure and economy of African countries, so the development of partnerships is key for us,” said Deputy Chairman of the State Duma of the Russian Federation Boris Chernyshov.
In his opinion, it is important to develop not only economic but also humanitarian cooperation.
His colleague in the State Duma, Sholban Kara-ool, added that the rapprochement of our states is inevitable and includes trade, economic and military-technical cooperation. In addition to the highest government structures, Russian regions, and entrepreneurs are included in the partnership dialogue. A typical example is a meeting of representatives of large companies at the Ministry of Agriculture and Food of the Moscow Region.
The conversation was attended by the Ambassador-at-Large of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, head of the secretariat of the Russia-Africa Forum. The meeting participants declared their readiness to increase the export of agricultural products to Egypt, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, and Algeria. Also, entrepreneurs from several Russian cities proposed to start supplying confectionery products and baby food.
Against this background, Russian legislators plan to improve the legislative framework, which will provide new opportunities for dialogue.
