Russia welcomes Africa as one of the centers of a multipolar world, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday after negotiations with Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Hissein Brahim Taha.
“Many African countries are members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Mr. Taha represents the Republic of Chad. We welcome Africa as one of the important centers of the multipolar world order,” Lavrov said.
African countries have not joined the sanctions against Russia, despite unprecedented pressure from the West, thereby demonstrating self-respect and integrity, Vsevolod Tkachenko, director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Africa Department, said at the international forum “Russia-Africa: What’s Next?”
“Despite unprecedented anti-Russian pressure from the United States and the EU, when their ambassadors literally besieged the offices of African leaders, demanding that they condemn, punish, and sever ties with our country, Africans have shown and are showing integrity and self-respect, refusing to join restrictions against Russia,” the diplomat noted. “And in general, this speaks to the political stability of our African friends and their desire to strengthen their sovereignty.”
He added that Russia is committed to the harmonious and full-fledged development of relations with Africa, and many countries have already established themselves as reliable partners of Moscow.
“We see Africa as one of the fastest growing regions in the world, a promising area of economic growth,” he stressed.
Western countries and their allies have rolled out a comprehensive sanctions campaign against Moscow over its special operation in Ukraine.
Earlier this month, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Russia saw no reason to maintain its current diplomatic presence in Western countries, with more attention needed to be paid to countries in Asia, Latin America, and Africa. The minister noted that Moscow was shifting its geographical focus from the West to those countries that are “willing to cooperate with Russia on mutually beneficial and equal terms.”
Despite Western pressure, African countries do not support sanctions against Russia and are developing Russian-African cooperation in a variety of fields.
In mid-October, Ugandan Ambassador to Russia Moses Kizige said that his country has no objections to switching its trade with Russia to rubles and Ugandan shillings, with Kampala having a liberal attitude toward the issue as Russia has been seeking to eradicate the dollar and euro from its foreign trade relations since 2014.
The Central African Republic (CAR) understands and supports Russia in the current situation, there are no misunderstandings between the leaders of the two countries, and relations are developing at a high level, speaker of the Central African Republic’s parliament, Simplice Sarandji, said earlier this month.
The CAR, among other countries, abstained from voting for a UN General Assembly resolution not to recognize the referendums in the DPR, LPR, Kherson, and Zaporozhye regions. Observers from the CAR were also present at the referendums in Russia.
