ST. PETERSBURG, July 28. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin described the traditional values that the peoples of Russia and Africa share as "the foundation of our existence" in addressing a plenary session of the Russia-Africa Summit on Friday.

The Russian leader highlighted a remark by Colonel Assimi Goita, interim president of Mali, who spoke of his fellow Malians’ commitment to traditional values. "This is something that certainly unites Russia and the majority of people who inhabit the African continent, the majority of African countries. For traditional values form the foundation of our identity, our existence and our sovereignty. No doubt, this is what underlies our statehood," Putin said.

The second Russia-Africa Summit is taking place at St. Petersburg’s Expoforum on July 27-28, in parallel with an economic and humanitarian forum. Similar to the first such summit in 2019, the event is being held under the rubric "For Peace, Security and Development." The event is being organized by the Roscongress Foundation. TASS is the event’s official information partner and photo-hosting agency.