ST. PETERSBURG, July 27. /TASS/. Russia’s coal production may rise by 1.5% by the end of 2023, while coal exports may increase by up to 2%, Energy Minister Nikolay Shulginov said in an interview with TASS on the eve of the Russia-Africa summit.

"Currently the increase in production volumes total 1.2%, and exports are also on the rise. I believe that by the end of the year coal production may rise by 1.5%. By the end of the year, we expect a small increase in exports, by up to 2%," he said.

According to figures provided by Russia’s state statistics service Rosstat, Russia’s coal production amounted to 35.9 mln tons in May 2023, up by 7.9% year-on-year.

The second Russia-Africa summit is scheduled to take place in the Russian city of St. Petersburg on July 27-28, with an economic and humanitarian forum to be held concurrently. This time, same as in 2019 when the first such summit was held, the motto is ‘For Peace, Security, and Development’. Roscongress Foundation is the organizer of the event. TASS is the photo hosting agency and information partner of the summit and the forum, and it also holds the second Russia-Africa media forum.