TASS-FACTBOX. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov set off on a tour of African countries on January 22, 2023. TASS-FACTBOX brings you a review of the Soviet Union and Russia’s relations with the countries of the continent.
History
The first political contact between Russia and African nations dates back to the late 18th century, when the Russian Empire secured support from the rulers of Morocco, Egypt and Tunisia in its standoff with the Ottoman Empire.
Diplomatic relations were established with Tunisia in 1869, with Morocco in 1897 and with Ethiopia in 1898. Russia’s relations with the countries of the continent intensified after World War II, when British, French, Portuguese and Belgian colonies began their struggle for independence.
Economic and technical support, the allocation of loans and the training of specialists were important fields of cooperation between the Soviet Union and African nations. The USSR reached agreements on economic and technical cooperation with 37 African countries. Soviet experts took part in the creation of some 600 enterprises and other facilities, and about 500,000 specialists were trained with Soviet assistance.
Political cooperation in post-USSR era
Russia-Africa ties almost stopped progressing for a long time following the collapse of the Soviet Union. However, this was when relations with South Africa were normalized. Bilateral ties with other countries were stepped up in the late 1990s, with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s 1997 visit to Moscow serving as an impetus. Diplomatic ties started showing a steady positive trend after Russian President Vladimir Putin had visited Egypt (2005), Algeria and Morocco (2006), and Libya (2008). In 2006, Putin made an official visit to South Africa, which was the first trip by a Russian leader to sub-Saharan Africa.
On October 23-24, 2019, Russia’s Black Sea resort of Sochi hosted the Russia-Africa summit and economic forum, which involved all 54 countries of the continent, as well as eight major African organizations. The summit’s final declaration enshrined the goals and targets of future cooperation in all areas. In addition, a new dialogue mechanism was determined, dubbed the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum, with a summit held once in three years being its supreme body. The next summit is scheduled to take place on July 26-29, 2023.
Economic relations
Work to update trade and economic agreements began in the second half of the 1990s. Russia’s move to write off African nations’ debts exceeding $20 bln in total gave a boost to bilateral trade. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Russia’s state and private companies, including Alrosa, Lukoil, Gazprom, Rusal and Rosneft, began working in a number of African countries.
The Coordinating Committee on Economic Cooperation with Sub-Saharan Africa was established under Russia’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry in 2009 (renamed the Coordinating Committee on Economic Cooperation with African Countries in 2020), which is aimed at promoting Russia’s interests in the legion and creating a mechanism to support the overseas economic activities of Russian businesses. The Association for Economic Cooperation with African States (AECAS) was established in 2020 in order to promote Russian projects in Africa and make preparations for the next Russia-Africa summit.
Defense cooperation
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Russia is the largest arms supplier to Africa. The country had the 44% share of the continent’s weapons market in 2017-2021 (with the US share standing at 17% and China’s at 10%). About 60% of Russian defense exports went to Algeria, with other major exporters including Egypt, Angola, Sudan, Uganda and Ethiopia. According to Russia’s Federal Service of Military-Technical Cooperation, the total amount of defense orders stood at $14 bln in 2021, with sub-Saharan countries accounting for more than $3 bln.
Humanitarian field
The number of African students in Russia rose from 9,000 in 2008 to 27,000 in 2021, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry’s data. As for research cooperation, Russia’s ties with Egyptian and South African organizations are accelerating. Russian centers of culture and science are active in eight countries of the region, namely, Egypt, Zambia, Morocco, the Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Tunisia, Ethiopia and South Africa.
Russia provides assistance to African countries both at the bilateral level and on international platforms such as the United Nations Development Program and the World Food Program. During the coronavirus pandemic, Russia sent medical aid to nearly two dozen African nations.