The first Russia-Africa summit, to be hosted by Russia this fall, will be crucial for deepening economic cooperation and building strong ties between Moscow and the African continent, Egyptian Ambassador to Russia Ihab Ahmed Talaat Nasr said on Tuesday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th May, 2019) The first Russia-Africa summit, to be hosted by Russia this fall, will be crucial for deepening economic cooperation and building strong ties between Moscow and the African continent, Egyptian Ambassador to Russia Ihab Ahmed Talaat Nasr said on Tuesday.Earlier in the day, the Kremlin press service said that Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Egyptian counterpart, Abdel Fattah Sisi, both of whom will co-chair the summit, would discuss the fight against new threats and efforts to boost stability, as well as adopt a joint declaration on the sidelines of the event.
"This year we are witnessing an exceptional year, which makes me more pleased and honored with the revival of Russian-African relations after a period of stagnation. Africa has always welcomed the friendship with its traditional partner, Russia. We are welcoming once again the great interest of our Russian partners to restore these traditional ties; this interest was reflected in many ways. On top of them � the first Russia-Africa summit, which is due to be held in Sochi in October later this year. This important event will represent the first cornerstone in a new chapter in the Russian-African relations," Nasr said at a Africa Day-related event at the Institute of African Studies in Moscow.
Nasr pointed out that the summit would be preceded by a big economic forum that would gather representatives from the business community and government officials "to initiate direct negotiations and contacts on the horizons of the investments and partnerships."
"Egypt has a long experience in cooperation with the USSR and Russia, of course, and today we witness many mega projects between the two countries on African soil ... [that will] be the first model of such type [of cooperation between Russia and African nations] ... I would like to confirm that we need in our endeavor a good partner, with whom we can work together on the basis of friendship and mutual interest and I'm sure that Russia is one of our partners in this regard," the ambassador said.
The southern Russian resort of Sochi will host the Russia-Africa summit in October. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said the event will hopefully raise the level and quality of the relationship between Russia and the African continent.
Putin floated the idea of holding the summit at a BRICS meeting in the South African city of Johannesburg in July 2018.
