2023 Jul 28 – modified on
[التاريخ]
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced in St. Petersburg on Friday, July 28, that his country has signed military cooperation agreements with more than 40 African countries.
“We are working to develop partnerships in military and military-technical cooperation with more than 40 African countries in order to enhance the defense capabilities of the countries of the continent,” Putin said during the second and final day of the second Russian-African summit.
Putin explained that African countries have received large quantities of weapons and technology, some of them free of charge.
Putin stressed that: “Some of these shipments are provided without material or moral compensation in order to enhance the security and sovereignty of those countries.”
Representatives from African countries were invited to actively participate in the military forums organized by Russia that deal with the technical aspects of weapons, as well as exercises to learn about such equipment and how to use it.
Putin also announced Thursday that Russia will provide assistance to countries in their efforts to liberate themselves from the “remnants of colonialism.”
The Kremlin leader reaffirmed that Russia will remain a reliable supplier of grain to the countries of the continent.
Russia also aims to expand its presence in Africa by opening new consulates and embassies and increasing the number of staff in the current diplomatic representation. The country has a surplus of personnel available after some 600 Russian diplomats were forced to leave Western countries due to heightened tensions, in part due to suspicions of espionage by European Union countries.
During meetings with African heads of state and government at the conference, Putin sought to demonstrate that he was not isolated internationally.
It should be noted that the Russian President and the African leaders adopted, on Friday evening, the final statement of the summit.
The action plan of the Russian-African Partnership Forum for the period from 2023 to 2026 was also adopted.
According to the “RIA Novosti” agency, the final statement of the Russia-Africa summit expressed the participants’ rejection of the policy of unilateral sanctions, secondary sanctions, and the freezing of gold balances and cash reserves.
“We oppose the use of the policy of unlawful unilateral sanctions, secondary sanctions, and the practice of freezing sovereign gold balances and foreign exchange reserves.
The statement also affirmed the rejection of the methods of political blackmail practiced against the leaders of third countries, to force them to join the sanctions policy, or to influence the political and economic course of countries.
According to a Kremlin statement, representatives from 49 out of 54 countries on the continent attended, including only 17 heads of state or heads of government, fewer than during the first summit in 2019.
The city of Petersburg will host the second Russian-African summit, which will be held on July 27 and 28, and in parallel with it, an economic and humanitarian forum will be held, bearing the slogan “For Peace, Security and Development.”
Electronic science – agencies