MOSCOW, June 5. /TASS/. Unlike the West, Russia's relations with its African partners are built on equality and mutual respect, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Radio Sputnik.

According to the diplomat, Russian companies in Africa "behave differently" than Western businesses. "[Relations are being built] on the basis of equality, mutual respect and mutual benefit. Our businesses, enterprises and companies, as they enter the African continent, not only develop a one-time infrastructure project, but rather <…> show willingness to take major steps <…> as an opportunity for mutual enrichment in the humanitarian sphere," she explained.

Russian companies are busy performing what Zakharova called a "vital" task to help African countries grow, taking into account their colonial past. Meanwhile, she said, the West is still trying to use colonial methods toward African economies, especially those "with abundant natural resources."

"Local experts told me that the French, for instance, who ran exploration or extraction projects, traded in mineral reserves without sharing the information they got as they explored with local governments, despite being under foreign jurisdiction, and some are still doing this," Zakharova recounted. "They had no intention whatsoever of revealing the opportunities to the people in those counties. They kept that information to themselves," she lamented.