Latest news with #Russia-AfricaPartnershipForum
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Only six African countries enjoy visa-free entry to Russia, not all of them
'The West is in PANICK as Russia announces visa-free for all African countries (sic),' reads a text overlay on a TikTok video posted on March 13, 2025. Shared more than 11,000 times, the video's voice-over claims 'Africans will easily move and do business with Russia', adding that 'they [Africans] will find investment opportunities and even decide to live in Russia, unlike the West which makes this so hard (sic)'. The voice-over refers to a 'recent statement' from Moscow diplomat Oleg Ozerov who is quoted as saying that 'Russia has established visa-free arrangements with six African nations and is actively pursuing similar agreements with other countries on the continent'. Ozerov is identified as the ambassador-at-large of the Russian foreign ministry and head of the secretariat of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum. One user wrote, 'Nigerians, please don't mess this up for us,' while another said, 'Time to move to Russia.' The account has more than 54,000 followers and published a similar claim on March 25, 2025. Russia has been expanding its influence in Africa in recent years, offering security support to the region's poor countries and kindling anti-Western sentiment (archived here). As of March 2025, however, agreements exist with only a handful of African countries whose citizens can enter Russia without a visa. Using keyword searches, AFP Fact Check could not find any recent statement from the Russian government announcing visa-free entry for all African countries. According to the Russian Consular information portal, only six African countries — out of 54 — have visa-free entry (archived here). The six countries are Namibia, South Africa, Mauritius, Cape Verde, Botswana and Seychelles. While Namibians and South Africans can stay in Russia for three months without a visa, people from Mauritius and Cape Verde can only stay for two months and those from Botswana and Seychelles can only stay one month. The comments attributed to Ozerov in the video are correct, but he made them in September 2023 when he told Russian News Agency Tass that Moscow was working on exempting all African countries from visa requirements (archived here). "We have visa-free agreements with six countries, and there is certainly ongoing work with other states,' Ozerov was quoted as saying. He added that how fast such agreements are concluded is 'a matter of negotiation'. Since Ozerov's remarks in 2023, there has been no update on progress from the Russian government. Ozerov's role has also changed: he was the head of the secretariat of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum until September 2024 and is now Russian ambassador to Moldova (archived here). Meanwhile, in December 2023, Russia's foreign ministry added 11 new countries to the list of states whose citizens can obtain a single electronic visa (archived here). Three are African nations: Kenya, Eswatini, and Zimbabwe. The electronic visa allows citizens of these countries to stay for 16 days on a single entry.
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Only six African countries enjoy visa-free entry to Russia, not all of them
'The West is in PANICK as Russia announces visa-free for all African countries (sic),' reads a text overlay on a TikTok video posted on March 13, 2025. Shared more than 11,000 times, the video's voice-over claims 'Africans will easily move and do business with Russia', adding that 'they [Africans] will find investment opportunities and even decide to live in Russia, unlike the West which makes this so hard (sic)'. The voice-over refers to a 'recent statement' from Moscow diplomat Oleg Ozerov who is quoted as saying that 'Russia has established visa-free arrangements with six African nations and is actively pursuing similar agreements with other countries on the continent'. Ozerov is identified as the ambassador-at-large of the Russian foreign ministry and head of the secretariat of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum. One user wrote, 'Nigerians, please don't mess this up for us,' while another said, 'Time to move to Russia.' The account has more than 54,000 followers and published a similar claim on March 25, 2025. Russia has been expanding its influence in Africa in recent years, offering security support to the region's poor countries and kindling anti-Western sentiment (archived here). As of March 2025, however, agreements exist with only a handful of African countries whose citizens can enter Russia without a visa. Using keyword searches, AFP Fact Check could not find any recent statement from the Russian government announcing visa-free entry for all African countries. According to the Russian Consular information portal, only six African countries — out of 54 — have visa-free entry (archived here). The six countries are Namibia, South Africa, Mauritius, Cape Verde, Botswana and Seychelles. While Namibians and South Africans can stay in Russia for three months without a visa, people from Mauritius and Cape Verde can only stay for two months and those from Botswana and Seychelles can only stay one month. The comments attributed to Ozerov in the video are correct, but he made them in September 2023 when he told Russian News Agency Tass that Moscow was working on exempting all African countries from visa requirements (archived here). "We have visa-free agreements with six countries, and there is certainly ongoing work with other states,' Ozerov was quoted as saying. He added that how fast such agreements are concluded is 'a matter of negotiation'. Since Ozerov's remarks in 2023, there has been no update on progress from the Russian government. Ozerov's role has also changed: he was the head of the secretariat of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum until September 2024 and is now Russian ambassador to Moldova (archived here). Meanwhile, in December 2023, Russia's foreign ministry added 11 new countries to the list of states whose citizens can obtain a single electronic visa (archived here). Three are African nations: Kenya, Eswatini, and Zimbabwe. The electronic visa allows citizens of these countries to stay for 16 days on a single entry.
See - Sada Elbalad
11-03-2025
- Business
- See - Sada Elbalad
Zimbabwe's FM Visits Moscow for Talks with Lavrov
Zimbabwe's Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Amon Murwira, has arrived in Moscow for high-level discussions with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. During a joint press conference, Lavrov emphasized the strong diplomatic ties between Russia and Zimbabwe, highlighting their foundation on the principles of equality and mutual respect. "We paid special attention to the need to strengthen trade and economic cooperation," Lavrov stated. "We agreed to take additional steps to identify promising areas of joint interest, particularly in geological exploration, mineral resource development, energy—including nuclear power—agriculture, space, and information and communication technologies." Lavrov also noted Russia's continued investment in Zimbabwe's education sector, announcing that Moscow annually allocates 125 scholarships for Zimbabwean students to study at Russian universities. He added that Russia is prepared to increase this quota. Looking ahead, Lavrov confirmed that the second ministerial conference of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum will take place in 2025 in an African country, while the third Russia-Africa Summit is scheduled for 2026. Minister Murwira, for his part, reiterated Zimbabwe's strong political ties with Russia and expressed a commitment to expanding economic cooperation. Responding to a question from BRICS TV correspondent Yana Panferova about Zimbabwe's possible participation in BRICS, Murwira acknowledged the significance of the bloc. "BRICS represents one of the most important platforms for economic cooperation," he said. The visit underscores deepening diplomatic and economic engagement between Russia and Zimbabwe, as both nations seek to enhance collaboration across multiple sectors.
Russia Today
07-03-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
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.
Russia Today
07-02-2025
- Business
- Russia Today
Russia-Africa partnership among top priorities
Russia is actively developing partnerships with African countries and this remains a top foreign policy priority for Moscow, Anton Kobyakov, an adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin, has said. Kobyakov made the remarks during a meeting with Igor Morozov, chairman of the Coordinating Committee for Economic Cooperation with African Countries (AFROCOM), according to a press release published by Russia's Roscongress Foundation on Thursday. 'Intensifying partnership relations between Russia and African countries is one of the priorities for our country's leadership today. I firmly believe that joint work as part of business events in Russia and Africa will strengthen our relations and identify new growth points for the near future. Russia is open to dialogue in all areas,' Kobyakov stated. He added that Moscow has been opening Russian language centers and investing in the infrastructure and economy of African countries. 'Relations are also developing in the area of transport logistics: international transport corridors are being organized, and business-to-business ties are being improved,' the official noted. READ MORE: African nations gaining prominence in global affairs – Lavrov Kobyakov also serves as the executive secretary of the Organizing Committee for the preparation and holding of events within the framework of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum. Russia has been expanding its presence across Africa in recent years – a move some Western countries, including in the European Union, see as a threat to their own influence. Several countries on the continent have reached deals with Moscow in a variety of fields. In October 2023, Burkina Faso signed an agreement with Rosatom for the construction of a nuclear power plant. Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger have jointly sought Russian defense support to combat a decade-long jihadist insurgency in the region. In December, Moscow added Kenya, Eswatini, and Zimbabwe to the list of countries whose nationals are eligible for Russia's single-entry electronic visa, which aims to promote tourism, business, and cultural exchanges. READ MORE: Missed this? The sneaky trends of 2024 that could flip Russia-Africa relations On Tuesday, the Russian Foreign Ministry inaugurated its Department of Partnership with Africa. Speaking at the event, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the establishment of the new department reflects how Russia has prioritized its ties with the continent's countries. According to the senior diplomat, African nations 'have always had a reliable and understanding partner in Russia,' which assisted them in their 'heroic struggle against colonial metropolises for freedom and independence.' Last year, Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa said his country 'will never forget' the help Russia and China provided during its fight for independence from British rule. The Zimbabwean leader has called Russia a 'consistent global ally.' In October, his South African counterpart, Cyril Ramaphosa, hailed Russia as a 'valued ally' who has long supported his country, including during the struggle against apartheid. Burkina Faso's interim leader, Ibrahim Traore, has also described Moscow as a 'strategic ally.'
