ST. PETERSBURG, July 28. /TASS/. Russia and the Republic of the Congo plan to sign a memorandum on construction of an oil products pipeline in the African country, with a Russian company attracted, this year, Russian Energy Minister Nikolay Shulginov told TASS on the sidelines of the Russia-Africa summit.

"The agreement is nearing completion. The signing is planned this year," he said.

Russian Ambassador to the Republic of the Congo Georgy Chepik said earlier that an intergovernmental commission decided in September 2022 to sign an intergovernmental agreement between the governments of Russia and the Republic of the Congo on the project on construction of a pipeline between the African country’s largest cities of Pointe-Noire and Brazzaville. The creation of an enterprise for implementation of the project and the signing of a concession agreement are suggested, he added.

The second Russia-Africa summit is running at St. Petersburg’s Expoforum convention center on July 27-28. An economic and humanitarian forum is running in parallel to the event. Like the previous summit, this one is held under the motto ‘For Peace, Security, and Development’. The Roscongress Foundation is the summit’s organizer while TASS is its photo hosting agency and media partner. TASS is also holding the second Russia-Africa Media Forum.