On the eve of his four-nation African tour from July 24 to 28, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov shared reflections on the prospects for Russia-Africa relations in the context of current geopolitical and economic changes. He makes official working visits to Egypt, Ethiopia, Uganda and the Republic of the Congo. Before taking off from Moscow, he gave a joint interview to Russia Today television, the Sputnik news agency and the Rossiya Segodnya International Information Agency.
According to Lavrov, Russia has long had good relations with Africa since the days of the Soviet Union, which pioneered and led a movement that culminated in decolonization. Russia provided assistance to the national liberation movement and later to the restoration of independent states and the rise of their economies. Hundreds of companies were built, now forming the foundation of many African economies. At the United Nations, Russia led the movement to formalize decolonization as an integral part of international law and everyday life.
“We have been rebuilding our positions for many years. The Africans are reciprocating. They are interested in having us. We never dedicated ourselves to teaching them anything, but we helped them overcome their problems so that they could live in their country as they wanted,” he told news agencies during the interview.
According to the transcript, Lavrov explained that his ministry has been trying to cover as many countries as possible. That his current visit includes Egypt, Ethiopia, Uganda and the Republic of the Congo. Before the first Russia-Africa summit, he traveled to North Africa and also in March 2018 visited Angola, Namibia, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Ethiopia. Our monitoring shows that West Africa is not yet on his “business” travel schedule.
Our monitoring and research show that Egypt is the number one trading and economic partner in Africa with trade of just under $5 billion. The Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Egyptian authorities have been discussing steps to create an industrial zone since 2015.
The Russian industrial zone, described as a project of great importance that will characterize the development and strengthen bilateral economic relations, is located in the East Port Said of the Suez Canal. The construction of a Russian industrial area on the banks of the Suez Canal is nearing completion this year after several years.
The first nuclear power plant is being built. El-Dabaa will be Egypt’s first nuclear power plant and Rosatom’s first major project in Africa. The El Dabaa NPP will be made up of four units, each with a capacity of 1,200 MW, equipped with a Generation III+ VVER-1200 reactor, considered the latest technology for nuclear power plants, which has already been successfully implemented in other countries. .
Russia and Egypt signed an intergovernmental agreement on the construction of the country’s first nuclear power plant in Cairo in November 2015. The total cost of construction is $30 billion. The parties also signed an agreement to provide Egypt with a $25 billion state export loan for the construction of the nuclear power plant, which will cover 85% of the work.
The remaining expenses should be covered by the Egyptian side by attracting private investors. Under the agreement, Egypt will begin repaying the loan, which was provided at 3% per annum, in October 2029.
Lavrov expressed his optimism that relations with Africa have better prospects now that the African Union decided last year to establish the African Continental Free Trade Area. Specific criteria and rates are being agreed for this area, which will take some time. This will benefit Russia as Africa’s emerging partner in terms of boosting trade and investment, which are quite modest compared to the United States, China and the European Union.
Records show that Africa has a population of more than 1.3 billion people, comparable to China and India. This is a big part of the modern world and probably the most promising market. That is why companies and external countries with a good vision are building long-term strategies with respect to Africa, which is the continent of the future.
“We have an excellent political base that underpins our relations and a good mutual understanding based on the fact that thousands of Africans who hold positions in their respective governments have studied in Russia and continue to do so. We need to use this human and political capital to achieve economic advancement,” Lavrov explained.
Russia will deliver contractually promised food, fertilizer, energy and other basic goods to its African friends, despite the difficulties created by Western sanctions, Lavrov assured the continent in an opinion piece published in major African media outlets. Western and Ukrainian propaganda accusing Moscow of trying to starve Africa is unfounded and seeks to deflect its own blame, he said.
“We are well aware of the importance of Russian supplies of socially important basic products, including food, for many countries in the world. We are aware that these supplies play an important role in preserving social stability,” Lavrov said.
“It is essential that all our African friends understand that Russia will continue to fulfill in good faith its obligations under international contracts with regard to exports of food, fertilizer, energy and other vital goods to Africa,” the Russian foreign minister wrote. , adding that Moscow is “taking all measures to this end.”
Lavrov reminded Africans that Russia is not “smeared with the bloody crimes of colonialism” on the continent, but has “sincerely supported Africans in their struggle for liberation from colonial oppression” over the years, including economic, military and educational assistance.
“Russia does not impose anything on anyone or tell others how to live,” Lavrov argued. “We treat with great respect the sovereignty of African States and their inalienable right to determine for themselves the path of their development.”
Moscow’s principle of “African solutions to African problems” is in stark contrast to the “master-slave” logic of the former colonial powers, the Russian diplomat noted. Relations between Russia and African nations are “of intrinsic value and do not depend on fluctuations in the international environment,” Lavrov said in closing: “It is good to see that our African friends have a similar understanding with Russia.”
However, it is expected that a wide range of important international and regional issues will be discussed, with special emphasis on the formation of a new international and regional agenda and the construction of a new polycentric architecture of inter-state relations.
The general expectations are that Lavrov’s meetings and talks in African capitals will allow for a more detailed analysis of the current and future prospects for trade, economic, investment, scientific, technological and humanitarian ties. Russia has thousands of unfulfilled decade-long promises and several bilateral agreements signed with individual countries on the continent, while in previous years there have been an unprecedented large number of “working visits” to Africa.
But the most important key issue is how to make these strategic efforts more practical, consistent and effective, considering the existing experience of constructive partnership and bilateral cooperation in Egypt, Uganda, Ethiopia, Republic of Congo and of course with the rest of African countries.
With the Russian government preparing to provide adequate funding, President Vladimir Putin has appointed his aide Yury Ushakov as chairman of the organizing committee for the preparation and holding of the second Russia-Africa summit in Russia and now rescheduled for 2023, according to a presidential statement. decree published on the government website.
