The Second Russia-Africa Summit will strengthen the relations by establishing specific development routes, Russia’s Ambassador to Ethiopia, Evgeny Terekhin, has stated one the sidelines of a two-day forum, "Russia-Africa. Sustainable urban future: exchange of experience and Partnerships for common goals," held on 27-28 June.
"We are going to discuss in practical terms different directions, the development of our economy, education, humanitarian and other spheres of cooperation," the ambassador stated. "And I am sure that this will give us a good opportunity to put fundamentals for further development of this cooperation."
Speaking about the ongoing Russia-Africa forum, the ambassador said that it focuses on the day-to-day issues that our countries' cities face, looks for better ways to address them.
"We are just at the beginning stage, and we have good perspective for the future benefit of inhabitants of the cities," Terekhin emphasized.
According to Fenta Dejen, Ethiopia's Minister for Urban and Infrastructure, the forum is important because it emphasizes the cooperation between Russian and African cities, the sharing of best practices, and the strengthening of that cooperation.
The two-day forum, held from June 27 to 28 in two African nations – Ethiopia and Kenya – has been organized by the UN Association of Russia (UNA-Russia) and the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO University) and held with the support of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the UN Information Center in Moscow and the International Forum "Russia — Africa: What’s next?"
The event's main objectives are to examine the practical aspects of cooperation in urban and regional sustainable development and to summarize the experience.