"I think that in the explanations and the engagements that we have, we think that there's a lot of progress ahead and we need to really deepen the conversation for both sides to understand where we stand in terms of social, economic, political and cultural relationships," he said, adding: "Second is that in the entire discussion, we have always been looking out for a value proposition from the Russian side."
'Formidable Force' in World Equation
"I think that there are a couple of issues that we really need to consider. And for us in Africa, that is how we view it. Currently, the fastest growing economic partners that we have as a continent are from the BRICS countries - Russia, China, Brazil and India. And so our expectations really are two things, one, how BRICS is able to present itself as a formidable balance and force in the world equation," he emphasized.