ST. PETERSBURG, July 28. /TASS/. Moscow calls for expanding African nations’ presence on the United Nations Security Council and other UN bodies, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a plenary session of the second Russia-Africa Summit.

"We certainly share African nations’ desire to play a greater role in the activities of the United Nations. We can see that the African Union has taken an active position on the matter. We are ready to give practical consideration to proposals aimed at expanding the presence of African institutions and African nations in general in UN bodies, including in terms of the proposed reform of the UN Security Council. We believe that the time has come to correct the historical injustice done to the African continent," the Russian president pointed out.

Putin also highlighted the growing authority of regional African institutions. "First of all, this concerns the African Union, which represents the views and aspirations of the greater region. Russia has actively backed the initiative to include the African Union in the Group of 20. It would be an absolutely correct decision, reflecting reality and the balance of power in today’s world," he stated.

According to Putin, Russia is also open to interacting with other regional integration institutions in Africa. "Yesterday, we held a special meeting with their leaders and put forward an initiative to build cooperation between the Eurasian Economic Union and the African Continental Free Trade Area in order to discuss the possibility of harmonizing integration processes within the two organizations," the Russian leader added.