The summit was the largest and unprecedented event in Russian-African relations, aimed at creating a fundamentally new and mutually beneficial partnership to address the challenges of the 21st century. As Russia and African nations gear up to review the progress and achievements of the first Russia–Africa Summit at the second meeting, scheduled for this month in St. Petersburg, Sputnik Africa outlines the most interesting facts about the Sochi convention.
Forum's Numbers Testify to Its Magnitude and Reach
The Russia-Africa Summit and Economic Forum brought together over 6,000 participants and media representatives from Russia and 104 foreign states and territories. The forum attracted more than 1,100 members of the foreign business community, about 1,400 Russian entrepreneurs, more than 1,900 representatives from foreign official delegations and over 300 Russian ones.
Public officials from 54 African countries attended the event, 45 of which were represented by heads of state and government. The milestone event also drew top executive administrators of eight regional organizations in Africa and 109 ministers.
The event was covered by about 800 media representatives - more than 500 Russian and over 250 foreign reporters from 43 countries. About 650 volunteers speaking English, French, Arabic, Portuguese and Spanish came from different Russian cities to assist in putting together the event.
Ahead of the Russia-Africa Summit, about 9,100 rooms were booked in 30 hotels throughout the city, in particular, in Adler, Krasnaya Polyana and downtown Sochi. During the event, Sochi International Airport serviced about 700 takeoffs and landings and a capacity of 2,500 people per hour.
Key Meetings and Discussions
The forum's business program was chiefly based on numerous discussions about opportunities for fostering cooperation and interaction between Russia and African nations.
On the first day of the event, on October 23, 2019, Russian President Vladimir Putin held nine bilateral meetings with the leaders of Egypt, South Africa, Nigeria, the Republic of Sudan, Ethiopia, Namibia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and the Central African Republic.
The next day, the discussions carried on, but on a larger scale. The Economic Forum opened with a plenary session under the theme: "Russia-Africa: Revealing the Potential of Cooperation". The co-chairs of the Russia-Africa Summit, President Putin and his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, addressed the forum.
During the plenary session, the Egyptian leader emphasized the role Russia plays in strengthening peace, stability and economic progress in Africa. He noted that African countries consider the Economic Forum to be an important platform for offering up opportunities to cultivate investment and trade relations between Russia and the continent.
The Russian president, for his part, pointed out the vestiges of the colonial mindset, emphasizing that a number of states are trying to make Africa an "object of unilateral assistance" instead of building equal partnerships with the continent. Uncontrolled aid can harm the region, instead it is necessary to develop production in African countries themselves, Putin said, adding that Russia is ready to cooperate with "African friends" towards this goal.
The discussions were divided into three topics: "Development of Economic Relations", "Creation of Joint Projects" and "Cooperation in the Humanitarian and Social Spheres". A total of 31 sessions were held, with most of them dedicated to cultivating trade and economic relations, existing and potential joint projects in the oil and gas industry, the agro-industrial sector, transportation infrastructure, and construction and nuclear energy. More than 250 speakers took the podium at these sessions.
Moreover, the Russia-Africa Information Agencies Forum transpired on the summit's sidelines, focusing on the role of the media in strengthening and broadening Russian-African relations.
All the events within the summit's business program were conducted in four languages (English, French, Arabic, Portuguese), which are the official languages of the African Union's bodies and institutions.
Agreements and Business Negotiations
The largest number of documents were signed in such fields as export and foreign economic activity, international cooperation, high-tech, transport and logistics, mining, as well as investment and banking.
"A mutually beneficial partnership is the fundamental basis for developing our economies, and the Russia-Africa Forum will play a leading role in this process. The next time this will take place is in three years. It is important that during this entire period, together with our African colleagues, we intend to continue intensive work to strengthen dialogue through various meeting arrangments," Kobyakov said.
During the event, the forum's business area, organized by the Roscongress Foundation, a major organizer of nationwide and international conventions, with the support of the Russian Export Center, hosted 569 meetings.
Moreover, the exhibition, held within the forum, featured various sectors of the Russian economy, including agriculture, heavy and light engineering, and military and civilian equipment. A large exposition was set up by the Russian Export Center. In particular, Rosatom, the country's energy corporation, presented renewable energy sources, while Transmashholding, the largest manufacturer of locomotives and rail equipment in Russia, exhibited modern developments in the field of passenger transport.
Final Declaration
A closing declaration was adopted at the close of the summit, outlining the approval of goals and objectives for the future development of Russian–African cooperation covering politics, security, economics, science and technology, culture and the humanitarian sphere.
The declaration provided for the creation of a new dialogue mechanism - the Russian-African Partnership Forum, with summits to be held every three years. The participants agreed to work together on strengthening security, nuclear non-proliferation, combating terrorism and biological threats, as well as reforming the UN Security Council.
The declaration emphasized the mutual Russia and African countries' commitment to bringing their cooperation to a new level and jointly addressing modern challenges and threats.