Russian President Vladimir Putin and his delegates meets with African presidents at the second Russia-Africa summit in Saint Petersburg, Russia on July 28, 2023.
Russia is preparing for an upcoming summit with African leaders with a pledge to defend the continent’s sovereignty against what it describes as Western exploitation.
Last week, Russian and African foreign ministers met in Cairo for a “partnership forum”, a precursor to the third Russia–Africa Summit. According to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, the meeting clarified the direction of ties between the two sides.
“We have every reason to state that the conference has laid solid groundwork for high-quality preparations for the Third Russia-Africa Summit, scheduled for 2026,” Lavrov told reporters in Cairo on December 21. “We will make every effort to ensure its successful holding.”
The next Russia–Africa Summit is expected to take place in July in Saint Petersburg.
Officials from Egypt, the Republic of Congo, Burundi, Tanzania, Botswana, The Gambia, Namibia, Equatorial Guinea, Togo and Malawi attended the meeting, alongside representatives from Mauritania, Rwanda, Seychelles, Algeria, Zimbabwe, Tunisia, South Sudan and the regional bloc Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas).
In a joint statement, participants said they would promote a just and stable world based on sovereign equality, non-interference, respect for territorial integrity and the right of peoples to self-determination.
“We reaffirm our strong commitment to consistent contribution to the strengthening of the sovereignty of the Russian Federation and African States, and to development of multilateral formats based on the norms of international law, national legislations and other key strategic documents,” the declaration said.
The statement stressed the protection of international law as the foundation of global relations. “We note the inadmissibility of any attempts to substitute, revise or arbitrarily interpret it,” the officials said.
UN reforms
Without naming countries, the remarks appeared to target Western states, particularly the United States, which Russia has accused of selectively interpreting international law, including the use of sanctions, trade restrictions and international courts.
Russia itself has faced similar accusations following its invasion of Ukraine in 2022. President Vladimir Putin was later indicted by the International Criminal Court over alleged war crimes, although Russia is not a member of the court. Both Russia and the United States reject the ICC’s jurisdiction, even as Washington supported the court’s decision to indict Putin.
Moscow said it would back Africa’s push for reforms at the United Nations Security Council, where Russia holds veto power.
“We stand ready to further engage constructively in the well-considered reforming of the UN Security Council in order to ensure that the Council reflects current geopolitical realities, including a including a world characterised by multipolarity, and in accordance with the Common African Position enshrined in the Ezulwini Consensus and the Sirte Declaration,” the statement said, referring to the African Union’s push for expanded representation.
“We reaffirm our commitment to contribute to the improvement of the mechanism for applying international sanctions, based on the exclusive competence of the UN Security Council to impose such measures and on the need to ensure their effectiveness in maintaining international peace and security and preventing the deterioration of the humanitarian situation.”
Russia and several African countries have been subject to Western sanctions in recent years. The statement said Moscow would coordinate with African partners to seek the lifting of sanctions imposed on countries such as Zimbabwe.
“We reaffirm our firm opposition to the use of Unilateral Coercive Measures as a tool for political and economic compulsion,” the officials said. “We advocate for cooperative, rather than confrontational, relations.”
Tax matters
Russia also highlighted the role of multilateral platforms such as BRICS in promoting a more inclusive global governance system.
Moscow said it was open to expanding cooperation with Africa in mineral exploration and energy, while calling for economic engagement free from political conditions, particularly in implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and supporting sovereign development.
“We reaffirm our determination to reduce dependence on foreign aid and enhance domestic resource mobilisation. We underline the importance of elaborating a UN framework convention on international cooperation in tax matters.
“We urge developed countries to scale up and fulfil their respective official development assistance commitments.”
