MOSCOW, May 25. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent greetings to African heads of state and government on Africa Day in a telegram posted on the Kremlin website on Thursday.
"I am sure that the second Russia-Africa Summit, which will take place in St. Petersburg in July, will help us outline new tasks aimed at expanding the constructive cooperation between our country and our African partners in the political, trade and economic, scientific and technological, humanitarian and other areas," the message reads.
The president said he would be delighted to welcome African leaders to St. Petersburg.
Putin reiterated that this year marks the 60th anniversary of the Organization of African Unity, which for decades "had played a crucial role in the development of multilateral dialogue and cooperation."
"Its good traditions are currently carried on by the African Union, within which all states on the continent are actively interacting. Thanks to their joint efforts, it was possible to establish mechanisms of collective response to local crises and launch processes of regional integration in various formats," the telegram went on to say.
"This, undoubtedly, facilitates the social and economic development of Africa, and increases its role in international affairs," Putin said.
The president stressed that Russia has always attached special importance to strengthening relations with its African partners, while the first in history Russia-Africa Summit in 2019 gave a boost to relations on many tracks.