Lavrov confirms next Russia-Africa ministerial conference
The second Russia-Africa Partnership Forum ministerial conference is slated for 2025 in an African nation, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced at a press conference following talks with Zimbabwean Foreign Minister Amon Murwira on Thursday in Moscow.
'This year, we must hold the second ministerial forum [Russia-Africa] in one of the African countries,' Lavrov said. The country that will host the 2025 conference has yet to be announced.
The third Russia-Africa forum has been already scheduled for 2026, according to the foreign minister.
The inaugural ministerial conference took place in November 2024 in the Sirius Federal Territory on the Black Sea, attracting around 1,500 delegates, including 45 ministers from African countries. Lavrov and other senior Russian diplomats met with foreign ministers and representatives of Algeria, Egypt, Ethiopia, Mali, Uganda, Nigeria, South Africa, and other countries.
'We have established bilateral intergovernmental commissions on trade, economic, and scientific-technical cooperation with many [African] countries,' Russian presidential adviser Anton Kobyakov stated in November. The event 'will strengthen our agreements and become another historic milestone in modern history,' he added.
At the conclusion of the first conference, Lavrov announced that Moscow had struck agreements in a variety of sectors with a number of African states during bilateral meetings held on the sidelines of the ministerial conference.
'Special attention was paid to supporting sustainable development in Africa, countering terrorism, and enhancing food sovereignty,' Vsevolod Sviridov, the deputy director of the Higher School of Economics Center for African Studies, told RT.
Amon Murwira arrived in Moscow on Wednesday. Following the talks, Russia and Zimbabwe signed an agreement on joint counteraction to sanctions. The parties also discussed strengthening cooperation in various areas, including energy, defense, the economy, and mining.
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