MOSCOW, November 1. /TASS/. United Russia Chairman Dmitry Medvedev and Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa emphasized at their talks on Tuesday that the US-led West’s policies toward Africa remained colonial.
"The leaders of United Russia and ZANU-PF pointed to the ongoing colonial orientation of the policies of the US and its satellites towards African countries. To counter the modern practices of neo-colonialism used by Westerners, the importance of creating an appropriate mechanism was emphasized, including by actively using the capabilities of the leading political parties in Russia and Zimbabwe," the United Russia party’s press service reported after the meeting.
The Zimbabwean president is also the first secretary of the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) party.
Russia has repeatedly drawn attention to the discrepancy between the West's slogans ‘for equality, for the support of African countries’ and its real economic policy. In particular, Russian President Vladimir Putin pointed out that trillions of dollars and euros printed over the past two years were spent by the US and Europe to "buy up goods on world markets," which has sent up prices against the background of poor harvests and reduced production. Primarily the poorest countries - countries of Africa and partly of Latin America and Asia - suffered as a result, Putin explained.
Humanitarian cooperation
Medvedev and Mnangagwa also discussed the need to quickly resolve the issues of opening an African Liberation Museum in Harare, Zimbabwe’s capital city, and building a monument there dedicated to victory in World War II. According to the party's press service, this is important for "preserving the historical memory of the difficult times of the past".
The parties also addressed humanitarian issues. Medvedev confirmed that Russia was ready to continue assisting its partners in combating the coronavirus pandemic. They also expressed willingness to expand the practice of training Zimbabwean students at Russian universities.