ST. PETERSBURG, July 27. /TASS/. Russia is interested in long-term cooperation in the area of fuel and energy cooperation with African countries, which is not connected with deep discounts on supplies of oil and petroleum products, Russian Energy Minister Nikolay Shulginov said in an interview with TASS on the eve of the Russia-Africa summit.

"We see that it is easy to work with countries that are not interested in cooperation. There are countries that ask for deep discounts for supplies of oil and petroleum products as they see what is happening on the global market. Whereas others understand that it is long-term cooperation that is beneficial, as it implies the development and comprehensive approach, and here we see the largest prospects," he explained.

There are currently more than 30 promising fuel and energy projects with Russia’s participation in the area of oil and gas and power in 16 African countries that are at various stages of development, the minister added.

The second Russia-Africa summit is taking place in the Russian city of St. Petersburg on July 27-28, with an economic and humanitarian forum being held concurrently. This time, same as in 2019 when the first such summit was held in Sochi, 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.