Russian and African Foreign Ministers Praised the Work Potential between the African Union and the CSTO

On November 9-10, the First Ministerial Conference of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum was held at the Sirius University in Sochi.

This new dialog format, established by the decision of the second Russia-Africa Summit in St. Petersburg in 2023, is designed to become a coordination mechanism to implement the tasks set by the heads of state and governments.

In addition to the heads of Ministries of Foreign Affairs and executive structures of integration associations, the event brought together industry ministers, as well as representatives of parliamentary, public, academic, scientific and business circles of Russia and African states. The total number of participants exceeded 1500 people.

A joint statement of the conference participants says that the interaction between the African Union and the CSTO to ensure regional security has vast potential.

“We commend the continuous significant efforts of the African Union and the Collective Security Treaty Organization to help ensure and maintain regional security and stability and are convinced that interaction between these organizations has vast potential,” reads the statement published on the Russian Foreign Ministry's website.

The focal point of the program was a plenary session chaired by Sergei Lavrov, Russian Foreign Minister, and attended by 54 heads of official delegations of African states and regional integration associations. It started with welcoming remarks from Vladimir Putin, President of Russia, and Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, Chairperson of the African Union and President of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania.

Common approaches to solving global problems and deepening cooperation are documented in four joint statements approved at the end of the conference: a general political statement and three sectoral statements on international information security, fighting terrorism and peaceful use of outer space.