Russia hosts African ministers to expand ties

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Russia hosts African ministers to expand ties

7:00 CAT | 11 Nov 2024

In this photo released by Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service, Ethiopian Minister of Foreign Affairs Gedion Timotheos, left, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov pose for a photo on the sidelines of the first ministerial Russia-Africa summit in Sochi, Russia, Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024.[Photo: Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service via AP]

Russia on Saturday opened the first ministerial conference of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum in the city of Sochi, seeking to deepen ties with African nations and dispel a notion that it’s isolated by Western sanctions.

The conference is billed as building on last summer’s Russia-Africa summit, where Russian President Vladimir Putin courted leaders from Africa and offered to expand political and business ties.

The two-day ministerial conference, which is attended by government and business leaders from Russia and Africa, will continue in the same format regularly, said Anton Kobyakov, an adviser to Putin.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova was quoted as saying by Russian state news agency RIA Novosti that the conference “dashed dirty hopes” for Russia’s isolation.

Zakharova said that dozens of bilateral meetings were taking place between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and African representatives, hailing the “multipolarity” demonstrated by the event.

Lavrov was due to speak at the plenary session on Sunday.

Source: AP