Russia has been very close to Africa – African Union official
Russia has historically maintained close ties with Africa, head of the African Union’s Counterterrorism Research Center, Idriss Mounir Lallali, has told RT.
African countries and Moscow share common principles, including sovereignty and non-interference in the internal affairs of states, values that resonate strongly across the continent, Lallali stated.
“Russia has historically been very close to Africa, whether it is through the liberation movements, whether it is through capacity building training, military doctrine, exchanges with African member states,” he said.
Uganda’s ambassador to Russia, Moses Kizige, told RT that Moscow supports Kampala in areas ranging from security to immigration systems and personnel training.
Speaking to RT, Ghana’s presidential advisor on national security, Prosper Bani, suggested that African nations have realized the need for sovereign security, however, they cannot address security challenges in isolation and must work together with partners from different regions.
Oita Etyang, head of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), argued that African countries must increasingly rely on their own capacities and resources, while remaining open to support from international partners.
“It is important now that we start looking at ourselves inwardly, mobilize our own resources, and then we can get support, additional support from Russia and other partners,” he noted.
The comments were made on the sidelines of the International Security Forum held from May 26 to 29 in Moscow, where more than 180 delegations from foreign states and international organizations were represented.
The theme of “African solutions to African problems” has also been repeatedly emphasized by Russian officials. In December, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, speaking at the plenary session of the 2nd Ministerial Conference of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum in Cairo, said: “We fully uphold the fundamental African principle of ‘African solutions to African problems.’”
