Infographic
Sputnik gives you the chance to investigate information that interactively explains and depicts all of the most recent developments

When Did Russia Establish Diplomatic Ties With African Nations?

Subscribe
Relations between Russia and Africa have a long history and have always been multifaceted. Apart from the USSR's support of anti-colonial movements in the second half of the 20th century, Soviet engineers actively participated in the implementation of a number of large industrial projects in many countries.
The first political contacts between Russia and African countries began at the end of the 18th century. At that time, the Russian Empire sought the support of the rulers of Morocco, Egypt, and Tunisia in its confrontation with the Ottoman Empire.
The first diplomatic relations with Ethiopia were established in 1898.
Later, after the October Revolution of 1917 in Russia, relations with African nations were practically non-existent for some time. However, in 1943, the Soviet Union established official relations with Egypt and Ethiopia.
Contacts with the countries of the continent intensified after the end of World War II, when the struggle for self-determination and independence unfolded in the colonies of Great Britain, France, Portugal and Belgium.
In particular, the USSR initiated the adoption by the UN General Assembly of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples in 1960.
During the Cold War, the USSR supported its allies on the continent and provided military-technical, material, and diplomatic assistance to national liberation organizations and movements fighting colonialism and the racist regimes of Southern Rhodesia (since 1980 – Zimbabwe) and South Africa. By 1984, the country had stable diplomatic relations with 46 African countries out of a total of 53.
Check out Sputnik's infographic to see which African countries Russia first established diplomatic relations with, and how the country's diplomatic presence on the continent has evolved over time.
Newsfeed
0