The Declaration emphasizes “the need” to intensify efforts towards strengthened and mutually beneficial cooperation between Russia and African countries and displays the desire of the participants in the Sochi conclave to continue their joint action “in with a view to deepening cooperation and ensuring the smooth running of the third Russia-Africa Summit, which will be held in 2026.”
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Living Abroad, Mr. Nasser Bourita, took part in this Conference, which brought together the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation and African member states of the United Nations.
The Declaration, published Monday, identifies five main areas of cooperation between Russia and African countries. Thus, on the aspect of security cooperation, the participants plead for collective efforts and global approaches aimed at “re-examining and strengthening the international peace and security architecture, with emphasis on eliminating the root causes of conflicts both internal and between States, on the basis of the inviolability of the principle of equal and indivisible security”.
They also reaffirm their commitment to respect for international law and their rejection of any other approach which deviates from this framework, at the risk of leading to regional instability in Africa.
The participants also express their “grave concern” about “the increasing activity of terrorist organizations in various regions of Africa and the threats that these organizations pose for the stability and security of African States”.
“We resolutely condemn all acts of terrorism as crimes for which there can be no justification and we reaffirm our commitment to the fight against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, the financing of terrorism and the granting of +safe havens+ for terrorists,” the Declaration continues.
On the political side, the document reaffirms the common aspiration of the participants in the Sochi Conference “to strengthen the central role of the UN in the promotion of inclusive multilateralism and the preservation of peace and security”.
Regarding economic cooperation, participants expressed their desire to continue their efforts to strengthen the voice and representation of countries on the African continent in the architecture of global economic governance.
Regarding cooperation in the fields of education, health care, culture, sports, youth policy and the media, the Declaration recognizes in particular “the importance of increased participation of women political and socio-economic processes, including conflict prevention and resolution, peacebuilding, post-conflict reconstruction and development and peacekeeping.”
Regarding environmental and climate protection, participants called for the promotion of international cooperation on climate change, based on “the principles of common but differentiated responsibilities and on respective capacities, national interests and the specificities of each country”, as well as on “the principles of technological neutrality, non-discriminatory access to appropriate financing and unimpeded access and transfer of energy technologies”.
The first Ministerial Conference of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum, which follows the Summits of Saint Petersburg (2023) and Sochi (2019), aimed to take stock of the provisions of the Declarations adopted during these two Summits and to identify prospects for future-oriented cooperation, in order to better meet the expectations and aspirations of African States.
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