MOSCOW, October 23. /TASS/. Interregional cooperation between Russia and African countries is important amid unprecedented pressure from the West, and Crimea and other regions have opportunities to increase trade and economic ties with the continent, Ambassador-at-Large of the Russian Foreign Ministry, head of the secretariat of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum Oleg Ozerov at a meeting of the Crimean-African Business Council.
"We proceed from the fact that interregional and intermunicipal cooperation in the current situation of unprecedented pressure exerted by the collective West on us and our partners is an important leverage for increasing mutually beneficial and equal interaction with African countries," he said, speaking at a council meeting that was held as part of the Yalta International Forum.
Ozerov noted that Crimea is the closest region to the African continent.
"There are terminals, a port, and the ability to load our goods and receive African ones. The Foreign Ministry provides diplomatic support to develop contacts in order to increase trade, economic and humanitarian cooperation," he said.
In turn, the Minister of Economic Development of the Republic of Crimea, Dmitry Sheryako, noted that Russia and African countries need to develop joint solutions to load the ports of Crimea. Also, the Minister of Transport of the Republic Nikolay Lukashenko added that in the first half of the year the ports of Crimea handled 2.2 million tons of cargo.
Moscow hosts the Yalta International Forum on October 23 and 24. TASS is the general information partner of the forum.