Putin Targets Development of Russia’s Relations With Africa

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that this is a special year for the development of Russia’s relations with African countries.

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Putin said that 2023 “can indeed be called a special year for the development of Russia’s relations with the African continent. Our contacts with African countries are more intense than ever.”

The president’s remarks came after talks with his Algerian counterpart, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, with whom he will continue talks within the framework of the 26th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), which began on Wednesday.

The two leaders discussed efforts to expand transactions in national currency, increasing the quota of state-subsidized university admissions for Algerian nationals, the Russian president said. 

Putin highlighted the current visit of the Algerian president to Russia, noting that it will contribute to the further comprehensive development of the Russia-Algeria strategic partnership.

On this occasion, the Russian president said that on June 17, he will meet with a delegation of presidents and high-ranking representatives of several African countries “to discuss the initiative of the continent’s states on the Ukrainian issue.”

The leaders of South Africa, Egypt, Congo, Senegal, the Comoros, Zambia, and Uganda are expected to attend the meeting, which is part of the “Road to Peace” proposal that South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced last month. 

This year’s Russia-Africa summit, in its second edition, will be held on July 26–29, 2023, in the Russian city of St. Petersburg, Putin recalled. 

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