Russia Seeks to Help Africa Transform Into Influential Center of World Development, Ambassador Says
15:35 13.09.2023 (Updated: 14:03 14.09.2023)
© AP Photo / Donat Sorokin
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Russian Ambassador to the United States Antonov organized at his residence located near the US White House an evening in the Russia-Africa format. This event was held following the results of the second Russia-Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum, held on July 27-28 in the Russian northern city of Saint Petersburg.
Russia aims to provide tangible assistance to African countries to turn the continent into an "original and influential center" of world development, the Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov said.
"Our main idea is that Russia aims to provide real assistance to Africa in turning the countries of the continent into an original and influential center of world development," the ambassador said.
The diplomat added that the proposals of Russian President Vladimir during the event in Saint Petersburg "were concrete and verified, in fact, he gave an impetus to the implementation of Russia's strategy on the African continent."
Real Help, Mutually Beneficial Cooperation
According to Antonov, at the summit Russia offered to African states "real assistance in the field of food security, including the supply of Russian fertilizers, in energy and trade."
"We are focused on mutually beneficial cooperation in the field of education, culture and the media. Our evening is simply not enough to list all the projects," he added.
In this regard, the diplomat assured that Russia is not going to impose "any models of political structure or economic development on the peoples of Africa" or "values and norms alien to them."
As for the examples of "mutually beneficial cooperation" between Russia and the continent, several initiatives could be cited. For instance, the country is discussing joint projects with South Africa in the energy sector, including the construction of a gas power plant and supplies of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) for new generating capacities.
In addition, Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom signed intergovernmental pacts with Zimbabwe and Burundi to boost partnership in the field of utilization of atomic energy for peaceful purposes.
Regarding cooperation in the field of food security, in early August, Russian state-owned United Grain Company (OZK) said that it had shipped more than 100,000 tonnes of grain to the continent since the start of the 2023-2024 agricultural year, which began on July 1.
Furthermore, Russian Agriculture Minister Dmitry Patrushev stated that free supplies of around 25,000-50,000 tonnes of the country's grain to six African states will be carried out in the near future.
Moreover, the ambassador highlighted that Russia proved its desire to promote a more fair global order by supporting the inclusion of the African Union (AU) into G20.
"The results of the summit in Saint Petersburg showed a new vector of development of a more equal and fair world architecture, confirmed the desire of Russia and Africa to achieve a multipolar world order not in words, but in deeds. An additional confirmation of this was our country's support for the decision of the Group of Twenty to grant AU the status of a participant in this forum. I have no doubt: together we will achieve the result we need," the ambassador noted.
Last Saturday, during the G20 Summit, which took place in New Delhi from September 9-10, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the inclusion of the AU to the group as a permanent member.
12 September 2023, 12:46
Fetters of Neocolonialism
Continuing his thought about more equal world architecture, Antonov stressed that Putin at meetings in Saint Petersburg "emphasized respect and support for the sovereignty of African countries."
"In fact, we are extending a hand to our partners in the fight against the sophisticated neocolonial policies of developed countries," the ambassador elaborated.
He also noted that modern neocolonial methods used against many African countries are "more sophisticated" in comparison with the colonialism, which the states successfully fought together with the Soviet Union.
"We have a successful joint experience of fighting colonialism during the Soviet Union. You will find concrete examples of Soviet aid on the [information] stands presented here. However, the fetters of modern neocolonialism have become more sophisticated. Many African States feel the levers of pressure on themselves. These are financial and economic traps, attempts to impose neoliberal values alien to African peoples," the diplomat explained.
At the same time, the ambassador underlined the significance of the African states' struggle for their independence, citing the words of the first President of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah, who said that neocolonialism prevents a country from controlling its "own destiny."
"'A state in the grip of neocolonialism is not able to control its own destiny. This circumstance turns neocolonialism into a serious threat to universal peace.' This statement clearly reflects the importance of the struggle of African peoples for their sovereignty," Antonov stated.
As he noted, Putin, speaking on Tuesday at the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF), paid special attention to the Russia-Africa summit.
The 8th EEF is taking place in the Russian city of Vladivostok on the campus of the Far Eastern Federal University from September 10-13.
According to the ambassador, the Russian leader was truly amazed by the openness of the African guests, their willingness to work together and stressed that Moscow's goal is to help the countries of the continent in the fight against neocolonial politics.
"Despite the undoubted success of the summit," the diplomat added, "our opponents continue to try to discredit Russia's actions on the African continent, distort the true noble aspirations of the Russian people to strengthen national sovereignty and improve the socio-economic well-being of ordinary Africans."
According to Antonov, "opponents have done a lot to disrupt the meeting of the leaders of Russia and Africa."
"How many lies have been voiced about Russia! How many political demarches have been made, economic threats have been made against African countries! But together we won," he highlighted.
Antonov also recalled that "48 official delegations arrived in Saint Petersburg, representatives of five departmental regional associations, 27 states were represented at the first and second levels."
Commenting on the results of the summit, the ambassador mentioned that numerous agreements and documents have been signed and Russia declared its readiness to provide African countries in need with grain free of charge.
"We managed to sign five strategic documents. More than 160 agreements, memoranda and action plans have been concluded. We have announced our intention to supply free of charge about 25,000 tons of grain to the most needy countries. By the way, the other day the Russian Federation also offered to send one million tons of grain processed into flour to the poorest states with the assistance of Turkey and Qatar," the diplomat stressed.
The current event was the actual continuation of the Russia-Africa meeting, which Antonov held at his residence at the end of May, which was organized on the eve of the July summit and forum in Saint Petersburg.
