The European Union intends to take advantage of Russian President Vladimir Putin's and Chinese leader Xi Jinping's absence at the upcoming G20 summit in India to reach out to the Global South by meetings with African leaders on the margins of the event, Western media has reported, citing sources familiar with the preparations for the summit.
"With both the Chinese and Russian presidents staying away from the two-day gathering in New Delhi, the EU wants to seize the moment," the agency said.
The sources added that the EU is keen to show that it is serious about reviewing its partnership with Africa "despite the troubled legacy of colonialism."
The summit will be reportedly attended by the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Charles Michel and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
According to the agency, Scholz also wants to seize the meeting to prepare for an international conference to be held in Berlin on November 20 where European and African leaders aim to promote an initiative to improve conditions for sustainable private sector investment in African countries, including in infrastructure.
In June, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote to G20 leaders proposing that the African Union be granted full membership in the group.
President Putin said earlier that Russia supports the AU's inclusion in leading international organizations and was one of the first to support the initiative to grant Africa membership in the G20.
Russia will be represented at the G20 summit in India from September 9 to 11 by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who similarly represented Moscow at last year's meeting of the organization in Indonesia.