Russian Upper House Speaker Announces Russia's Comeback To Africa During Trip To Continent

Russian Upper House Speaker Announces Russia's Comeback to Africa During Trip to Continent

Russia sees Africa as an equal partner as it seeks to bolster economic presence on the continent, Russia's parliamentary speaker Valentina Matvienko said during a trip to Zimbabwe on Thursday

HARARE (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 02nd June, 2022) Russia sees Africa as an equal partner as it seeks to bolster economic presence on the continent, Russia's parliamentary speaker Valentina Matvienko said during a trip to Zimbabwe on Thursday.

"They are interested in having Russian companies (in Africa). It is not just talk yesterday we identified spheres where we have mutually beneficial cooperation. A stronger cooperation with Africa is one of Russia's foreign policy priorities," she told reporters in Harare.

Russian presence in Africa dates back to the 20th century, Matvienko said. She added that African nations appreciated the role that Russia had played in the continent's struggle for independence against its colonial masters.

"We have been actively returning to Africa as friends over the past decades. We have come to strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation, not to exploit it as many other countries have done," she said.

Matvienko arrived in the southern African country on Wednesday for a three-day official visit. She met with Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa and Senate leader Mabel Chinomona. They talked about trade, economic cooperation, the Ukrainian conflict and food security.