West Puts Pressure on Africa due to its Growing Influence, Russian Official Says

Pressure on African countries has increased from the West, which is associated with a clear increase in their influence in world affairs, for many guests of the second Russia–Africa Summit on July 27-28, coming to our country today is a statement of their firm position, Deputy Speaker of the Federation Council Konstantin Kosachev told Sputnik.

"The summit will be held in a completely different global environment compared to the one in Sochi in 2019, and therefore everything that will be said and accepted at it will inevitably attract special attention of the world. The West has sharply intensified in the African direction, including 'sticks and carrots', in order to maximally upset the ties of Africans with Russia," the politician told Sputnik.

Kosachev noted that "there are a number of acute topics that will be at the center of discussions at the summit and forum – these are food supplies and overcoming the crisis." He also recalled African initiatives for the peaceful settlement of the conflict around Ukraine.

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Kosachev considers it important, following the summit, to continue institutionalizing cooperation between Russia and African countries in both multilateral and bilateral formats. He recalled that by the 1980s, the Soviet Union had existing agreements on technical and economic cooperation with 37 of the 53 countries of the continent.

"The real economic return from the agreements reached is also an important factor. Objectively, our influence in Africa far exceeds the economic foundation of cooperation," the senator said.

According to the official, it is necessary to create stable economic ties that would have a noticeable effect for both sides, there are no obstacles to this.

"In this regard, I hope that this time the effect will be greater than after the first Russia–Africa summit in 2019," the parliamentarian said.

The first Russia–Africa summit was held in Sochi in 2019, and an economic forum was held in parallel. The forum was attended by heads of African states, representatives of Russian, African and international business and government agencies, as well as representatives of integration associations of the African continent.

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Moreover, Konstantin Kosachev stated that the "mission [of Russia] in Africa should not be limited to finding allies in opposition to the West," it consists in supporting African countries "in their quest to become a subject, not an object of world politics," an important point is the "export of security" to the countries of the continent.

"Among the important indicators for Russian-African cooperation should be noted the "export of security". Support for stability in various countries and assistance in conflict resolution are becoming an important resource for Russian assistance to African states," the politician said.

This is especially true of assistance to states where the West is working out the next scenarios of "color revolutions" and other technologies of interference in the internal affairs of African countries in order to promote pro-Western forces to power, the deputy speaker noted.

According to the official, Russia is interested in strengthening African integration and its institutions, in achieving the independence of the continent's countries from external influence, in pursuing a sovereign course in world affairs by collective Africa – in this our interests objectively coincide with the majority of African political forces.

Kosachev noted that Russia and Africa have a great scope for cooperation, including through the parliamentary line.

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Recently, it has also been noted by the Ambassador-at-Large of the Russian Foreign Ministry Oleg Ozerov that Russia-Africa cooperation is currently qualitatively improving.

"It is clear that our cooperation with the African continent is reaching a qualitatively new level [...] Some might say that this is a fundamentally new quality of cooperation, because now we are not talking about Russia helping to establish the independence and statehood of African states [as in the days of the Soviet union] [...] We are talking about the development of equal and mutually beneficial relations between Russia and African countries," Ozerov said at the round table hosted by Rossiya Segodnya media center.

The official also stressed that the Second Russia–Africa summit is organized at a moment when the global order is undergoing reconstruction.

The world order is transitioning from a "monopolar to a multipolar world, to a system in which there will be no dictates of one force, one side, one bloc of states," he added.

The second Russia–Africa Summit and Economic Forum will be held on July 27-28 in St. Petersburg. Sputnik is acting as an information partner of the event.