Over the past six years, the Russian Federation has significantly intensified its cooperation with African countries and the African Union as a whole. Africa is becoming one of the top priorities in Russian foreign policy. In 2019, the first Russia-Africa summit was held in Sochi. It established a permanent Russia-Africa Partnership Forum. In 2023, a second summit was held in St. Petersburg. It adopted a detailed and comprehensive action plan for the medium-term in many areas of political, economic, cultural and humanitarian cooperation. In late 2024, within its framework, the first ministerial conference of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum was held in Sochi under the auspices of the respective ministries of foreign affairs. It summed up the first results of the implementation of the plan of action and outlined tasks for the next two years.
It is significant that cooperation between Russia and African countries during this new phase has been carried out from the very beginning not only with pragmatic goals and objectives, but also with attention to common and shared value principles. In the declaration following the first summit, much attention was already paid to this topic. All this represents a solid foundation for the development of relations.
Among the values highlighted in 2019, we should note the principle of respect for historical memory. The declaration stressed that modern cooperation and friendly ties between Russia and African countries are based on the traditions of the joint struggle for decolonisation and the establishment of independent African states, as well as on the rich experience of multifaceted and mutually beneficial cooperation. Thus, although the term “Soviet Union” was not directly mentioned in the declaration, it was nevertheless recognised that the memory of the Soviet legacy in Africa remains important today.
Another principle from the 2019 declaration is related to the commitment to promote the construction of a more just and equal system of international relations. The recognition of the multilateral nature of the world order was emphasised, and the use of unilateral measures and imposing approaches that undermine the common interests of the international community as a whole was condemned. Based on this principle, Russia expressed support for making the existing system of global regulation and governance more representative and the broader participation of African states. A desire was declared to promote the deepening of the BRICS-Africa partnership aimed at strengthening the collective mechanism of global governance in a multipolar world.
Another principle was related to the respect and preservation of national identities and civilisational diversity. The importance of expanding interpersonal contacts between citizens of the Russian Federation and African states was emphasised. Particular importance in this regard was attached to cooperation among young people. For the same purpose, support was expressed for the development of cooperation in the field of education. It was emphasised that obtaining a quality education is an important driving force for structural economic transformation, industrialisation and modernisation in African states.
The next principle expressed was support for making the global economic system more socially oriented. It was emphasized that any manifestation of a unilateral approach, protectionism and discrimination that could undermine a stable and equal system of world trade was inadmissible. The readiness to jointly counteract political dictates and currency blackmail in the implementation of international trade and economic cooperation, as well as attempts by individual countries to appropriate the exclusive right to determine the expediency and acceptable parameters of legal interaction between other countries was noted. The extraterritorial application by states of their own laws in violation of international law was qualified as a violation of the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of states. The practice of double standards and the introduction of unilateral sanctions was also condemned.
Concern over climate change processes also became a shared principle. It was emphasised that global climate policy should be conducted taking into account the legitimate socio-economic interests of developing countries, including African states. Financing measures to combat climate change should not lead to an increase in the debt of African states or threaten their sovereignty.
These value principles were further developed following the results of the second Russia-Africa summit in 2023. They also occupied an important place in the final declaration. First of all, it recorded a commitment to the principles and goals from the 2019 declaration, which laid the strategic foundation for relations between Russia and African countries in the 21st century.
Developing these principles, the declaration of the second summit emphasised the principle of mutual respect and trust. It also noted a commitment to strengthen the global role and influence of Africa as one of the most important pillars of a multipolar world. More clearly than before, the value preamble of the declaration recorded a commitment to jointly oppose neocolonialism, the imposition of conditions and double standards, as a result of which states and peoples are deprived of their right to a sovereign choice in their path of development. For the first time, which was not the case at the previous summit, a common intention was recorded to seek compensation for the economic and humanitarian damage inflicted on African states as a result of colonial policy, including the restitution of cultural property taken away during the colonial plunder. The plunder of natural resources was declared one of the key forms of modern neocolonialism.
Also, a new formulation was the recognition of the leading role of sovereign states in decision-making, as well as respect for the diversity of value systems of states and peoples within the framework of multilateral cooperation formats. In addition to the principle of national identity and cultural and civilisational diversity noted at the first summit, the principles of protecting traditional values and preserving national resources were added. Another new aspect was the inadmissibility of aggressive nationalism, neo-Nazism and neo-fascism, Afrophobia, Russophobia, any forms of racism and racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance towards migrants. It was noted that the dehumanisation of entire nations, including in the information space, “cancel culture” targeting their civilisational heritage, as well as any kind of cultural appropriation, including bans on the use of native languages, are unacceptable.
With regard to unilateral sanctions and coercive measures, it was especially emphasised that it is unacceptable to impose approaches that primarily harm those who are most vulnerable and undermine international food and energy security.
In general, we should note that both
declarations of the Russia-Africa summits were emphatically critical of
developed Western countries and their political and economic practices. This
contrasted, among other things, with the majority of declarations of the BRICS
summits, which, while paying attention to the problems of the developing world,
were, as a rule, much more neutral and calm in their style and semantics. At
the same time, the declaration of the second Russia-Africa summit was even more
critical, directly condemning the West. Many new formulations as well as the
semantic strengthening of the previous ones, were associated with the
geopolitical split in the world in 2022. Here, again for comparison, the BRICS
declarations of 2022-23 were, in our subjective opinion, generally somewhat neutral
in relation to the latest geopolitical changes and were again stylistically distracted
in their formulations. In the case of the Russia-Africa declarations, we see a
completely different approach. Naturally, understanding that the declarations
of any multilateral summits can be perceived as a kind of diplomatic formality,
one should nevertheless draw a conclusion about the much greater openness of
African countries to narratives about the fight against neocolonialism, the protection
of sovereignty and sovereign values than was demonstrated in most BRICS
declarations.
The Valdai Discussion Club was established in 2004. It is named after Lake Valdai, which is located close to Veliky Novgorod, where the Club’s first meeting took place.
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