MOSCOW, September 18./TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov chaired on Wednesday a session of the ministry’s board focusing on preparations for the first Russia-Africa Summit and an economic forum on its sidelines, due in Sochi in October, the Foreign Ministry reported.
"It was emphasized that hosting the first summit of this kind shows that Russian-African relations have reached a qualitatively new level," the ministry said. The session looked in detail into the tasks of coordinating the activity of the ministries and agencies to address the subject matter of the summit, its organizational, protocol and logistics support," it said.
Attending the session were representatives from the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Economic Development Ministry, Roscongress Foundation as well as the Institute for African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences. They were informed about work to coordinate the final documents of the Sochi summit and about bilateral events planned on its sidelines, including the signing of documents on putting into practice mutually advantageous projects.
"The board emphasized that Russia’s cooperation with the African states is based on strong historical traditions of friendship and solidarity in fight of the continent’s peoples for freedom and independence," the Foreign Ministry said.
"Giving a boost to cooperation with the African states and organizations within the framework of the UN and other multi-lateral agencies to assist in the settlement of persisting on the continent crises and conflicts is of major importance," it added.
On October 24, Russia’s Black Sea resort city of Sochi is set to host the inaugural Russia-Africa Summit. The leaders of more than 50 countries of the region were invited.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and President of Egypt Abdel Fattah al-Sisi will co-chair the summit in Sochi. Egypt is presiding over the African Union in 2019.
Development of interaction among entrepreneurs of Russia and African nations, cooperation in digital development, nuclear technologies, humanitarian and social spheres will be discussed at the economic forum to be held on the sidelines of the Russia-Africa Summit in Sochi on October 23-24, Roscongress Foundation said earlier on Wednesday.