African countries have a balanced position on the situation around Ukraine and will not succumb to the discriminatory pressure of Washington, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Wednesday at a reception on the occasion of Africa Day for heads of diplomatic missions of African states accredited in Russia.
"We note with satisfaction that African countries are taking a balanced, objective position on the events in and around Ukraine. We know that the cavalier behavior of Western countries is sometimes openly rejected on the African continent. I am sure that African friends will not give in to the discriminatory pressure of Washington. We highly appreciate your willingness to further expand the political dialogue with our country and boost economic, humanitarian and other cooperation," the minister said.
Food supply
Moscow will continue to fulfill its obligations to supply food and goods needed by African countries in good faith, the minister said.
"We know that African countries are among the most vulnerable countries in terms of food security. Some countries of the continent are critically dependent on imports of agricultural products from the Russian Federation," the foreign minister said. - "I would like to once again give a firm assurance that Russia will fulfill and will continue to fulfill in good faith its obligations under international contracts regarding exports of food, fertilizers, energy resources and other urgently needed goods to Africa".
"At the same time, we call on our friends, the African Union, to demand, insist that the West lift illegal unilateral sanctions that undermine the transport and logistics infrastructure necessary for world trade, which creates risks primarily for the vulnerable populations," Lavrov added.
The minister also noted that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres should express a principled position on this issue. "Africa's voice must be heard. The UN Secretary-General [Antonio Guterres] should also take a more principled position on this issue," Lavrov pointed out.
On Russia-Africa summit
Moscow expects to soon agree together with African countries on the parameters of the second Russia-Africa summit, the foreign minister said.
"It is important to facilitate the mutual access of Russian and African economic operators to each other's markets, to encourage their participation, business participation in large-scale infrastructure projects. All these tasks are the focus of preparations for the second Russia-Africa summit. Together with our African friends we expect to agree on the parameters and content of the summit in the near future", said the Russian foreign minister.
Lavrov stressed that Russia and African countries, in the interests of their peoples, need to "work together to preserve and expand mutually beneficial trade and investment ties in the new environment in order to rely on reliable logistical and financial mechanisms that are protected from external interference".
The first Russia-Africa summit was held in Sochi on October 23-24, 2019, co-chaired by Russian and Egyptian presidents Vladimir Putin and Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. The second summit is scheduled for the fall of 2022.
GSV "Russia - Islamic world"
Photo: Russian Foreign Ministry
Based on materials from TASS