SPIEF 2024
The 2024 edition of the St Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) takes place from June 5 to 8. The theme of this year's event is “The foundation of a multipolar world - forming new points of growth”.

Russia Wants to Help Africa Without Political Pressure on It: Head of Cameroonian Diaspora in Russia

African nations appreciate Russia's approach to economic cooperation because it prioritizes mutual benefit and non-interference in domestic affairs, in contrast to the typically prescriptive Western policies, Mary Avdalyan, a senior lecturer at the Institute of African and Asian Studies of Moscow State University Lomonosov, said in late April.
Sputnik
"Russia is not putting pressure on African countries about politics," it just wants to help the continent, the President of Cameroonian diaspora in Russia and Editor-in-Chief of Hello Africa magazine, Louis Gowend, told Sputnik Africa.

"That is very important because African countries have to define themselves, their politics," he said on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) 2024.

He praised this Russian approach, adding that that's why African nations "would like to do business with Russia."
Opinion
Soft Power: Expert Compares Russia's & West's Approach to Partnership With Africa
Speaking on why Africa is attractive to Russian investors and vice versa, Gowend said that it is necessary for both sides to have many different partners, apart from the West and Asia, so that they have a choice.
"When you diversify your partners, you have more opportunities. This is right for Africa and also for Russia," he noted.
Commenting on the European Union banning Russian media while claiming to promote freedom of speech, Gowend highlighted that the West is "telling one thing and doing another one."
The EU's blocking of Sputnik and other Russian media is "not a good thing," the diaspora president of the underlined.

"We should have free expression. Because, people can listen to different opinions, and they can choose by themselves," he noted.

The SPIEF 2024 is taking place on June 5-8, and will bring together thousands of representatives from government, business, and professional societies from about 130 countries.