"I should like to reaffirm that our country will continue to provide all possible assistance to our African friends in the most diverse areas: in ensuring sustainable development, in combating terrorism and extremism, in countering epidemic diseases, in solving the food problem and in overcoming the consequences of natural disasters," Putin said.
Russia, Africa to Continue Trade Development Despite Obstacles Created by West, Russian Foreign Minister Says
"Despite artificial obstacles from the collective West, we continue to improve business support mechanisms, find effective logistics solutions and use new instruments for mutual settlements that do not depend on negative external interference," Lavrov said.
"Trade and economic cooperation are developing. Last year, we reached the historical maximum of $24.5 billion in trade, but it is clear that this figure does not reflect our potential, which needs to be maximized," he noted.
Africa Opposes Hegemony on World Stage, Mauritanian President Says
"This event [the conference] comes at a time when the world is facing serious challenges that require a united effort and urgent solutions, while at the same time confronting those [states] that are trying to set their own rules. <...> We, as the international community, must take the lead in finding solutions to ensure that the situation does not deteriorate. And we can do this through joint efforts and increased cooperation based on multipolarity, on cooperation between countries, on political solutions to make the world a fairer, more balanced, more integrated world, including for the least developed countries," the Mauritanian leader said.