2023-07-28 02:05:19
00:46 GMT, July 28, 2023
Angelica Ferrer
Correspondent in Mexico
The II Russia-Africa Summit is a sign that Moscow seeks to change the language of the West and highlight the relevance of African nations, which were overshadowed for years by the imperialist vision, says the expert in international issues from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) Natalia Rivera.
Read on Sputnik The second edition of this event takes place in the city of Saint Petersburg on July 27 and 28. Its motto is “For peace, security and development” and among its various points to discuss are the approval of the Action plan of the Russia-Africa Association Forum until 2026, Moscow’s participation in infrastructure projects in African countries and support to promote food sovereignty on the continent. In this edition, 49 delegations from African States attend.
“Russia considers Africa one of the most important continents because, first of all, it points out that the West maintained colonization for a long time and has not allowed better conditions for the socioeconomic development of African nations,” the researcher points out.
“In that sense, a prevailing imperialist vision. This way, [Moscú] looking to change the language and point out that it is time to take into account the region that, due to the Western narrative, was forgotten”, he assures in an interview for Sputnik.
For this, the professor of the Faculty of Political and Social Sciences of the UNAM specifies that Russia deploys both commercial and humanitarian plans.
“Moscow seeks to foster trade relations because Africa is a continent that supplies Russia with food. On the other hand, [el continente] has minerals and energy, which are an important source in the conflict with Ukraine (…). Besides, [los países africanos] They have become a support for Russia in the sense of trying to maintain a bloc that supports negotiations with kyiv,” he says.
II Russia-Africa Summit: Putin applauded
Cereals: a core point
The doctor in political sciences oriented to internationalism indicates that the issue of cereals between both actors is a fundamental piece for the II Russia-Africa Summit. “Russia is looking to favor trade on this matter,” she says.
Proof of this is the message of President Vladimir Putin on July 27, who declared in the plenary session of the event that his country can replace the grain originating in kyiv.
“I have already said that our country is capable of substituting the ukrainian grain both on a commercial basis and free to the neediest African countries, especially as we expect another record harvest this year,” the Russian president said.
Putin: despite sanctions, trade relations with Africa managed to grow
He also noted that the country he leads provided 11.5 million tons of cereals to nations of the African continent in 2022, and almost 10 million tons in the first six months of this year, despite the sanctions imposed on Russian exports.
“We seek to participate actively in the formation of a fairer system distribution of resources, we apply maximum efforts to prevent the global food crisis,” Putin said.
Other issues of Moscow and African countries
The multinational meeting also emphasizes Moscow’s ties with each of the African countries involved.
For example, with Uganda they will sign a bilateral understanding agreement for cooperation in the field of health and vaccine production, in addition to working together to solve the problems of supplying Russian fertilizers to their market and seek the creation of a center regional for the maintenance of Russian military, ground and air equipment. In another area, Tanzania invited the Russian Government to mine diamonds and expand its investments in its territory. In addition, Russia and Burundi made an intergovernmental agreement on cooperation in the use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. It establishes the practical realization of concrete cooperation projects in a wide range of areas.
In particular, it deals with the creation and improvement of nuclear infrastructure of the African country, cooperation in the use of radiation technologies and nuclear medicine, training of specialists for the nuclear sector, among other items.
Putin tells Mozambique leader that Russia is ready to expand cooperation
“The interest of many African nations is to diversify relations with different countries (…) and not generate a dependency, for example, towards chinawhich has a large presence on the continent and has various projects in terms of infrastructure, energy investment or the exploitation of mineral resources,” reflects the internationalist.
“In this sense, Russia represents the opportunity to be able to diversify relations with other countries (…). It is a great alternative to be able to engage in greater dialogue and have a greater presence,” Rivera elaborates.
The BRICS and Latin America
South Africa, Russia and China are part of the BRICS bloc (along with Brazil and India), so their relevance in the meeting that takes place in Saint Petersburg is essential.
“South Africa serves as a bridge to foster relations with other African nations. I think that this is one of the main reasons for seeking greater interaction among themselves and promoting dialogue,” says the UNAM professor.
Given this rapprochement, a question arises: might a similar summit between Moscow and Latin America take place? “There are possibilities, but let’s remember that, in terms of foreign relations, many countries outside of the Americas consider the region to be the United States’ backyard and this limits contact a bit,” he explains.
Added to this, factors such as China growth in the area and the sanctions for the special military operation in Ukraine make a closer and more expeditious relationship difficult.
But this changes over time. Proof of this is the tour of Lavrov for the Latin American region last April, where he visited leaders of Brazil, Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba. Russia assures that it will contribute to the prevention of conflicts on the African continent
The multipolarity of the world, present at the Summit
For the expert, the II Russia-Africa Summit is a sample of the changes that are emerging in the world, which is turning towards a multipolar order, without dependence on the West.
“We can no longer talk regarding a unipolar world (…). We are even seeing that the BRICS bloc, which is an initiative that exposes that there is no predominance or hegemony of the West in the developed world, but now also has a voice and vote, just like the southern countries [del planeta]”, says the university.
“In this multipolarity, the powers have to make a significant effort to maintain their relations with the southern nations as a way to have legitimacy, presence and interact with the world,” he stresses.
“Russia is seeking to have a greater presence on all continents and this is important because benefits and promotes a greater multiplicity of relationships at various levels, with various actors and in different regions,” concludes Rivera.
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