Russia-Africa summit will boost cooperation between participants - Lavrov

SOCHI, February 13. /TASS/. The first Russia-Africa summit will enhance mutual ties and increase effectiveness of cooperation between its participants, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Wednesday after talks with his Lesotho’s counterpart Lesego Makgothi. "We believe that this [summit] will allow us to significantly increase the level and quality of our cooperation and find certain ways to further enrich our historically friendly ties with African friends," Lavrov said. "In general, we called for boosting cooperation between Russia and African states in all areas, namely in the context of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s initiative on holding the first in the history summit between Russia and Africa, which is due in autumn this year." Lavrov noted that in October 2018 a public forum Russia-Africa was held and this year a parliamentary forum will take place in the same format. Russia will also host a meeting of shareholders of the African Export-Import Bank, which Russia joined recently, and a business forum Russia-Africa is scheduled for autumn. The foreign minister again confirmed Russia’s commitment to settling crises in Africa. "All crises and conflicts, which unfortunately remain on the African continent, should be solved primarily by African states themselves, and the goal of the international community is to provide all necessary support for African processes and peacekeeping missions," he stressed. "As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, Russia will further strictly abide by this principle." "We welcome integrational processes, which are developing in Africa, including the efforts of the Southern African Development Community on ensuring social and economic growth in the southern part of the African continent," Lavrov said. Last year, Russia signed several documents with this community, including a memorandum on mutual understanding between the government and this body and a memorandum on fostering military and technical cooperation. He praised the community's participation in drawing up recommendations for Lesotho on carrying out reforms, which may ensure a long-term social and political consensus in the country. Read more