ST. PETERSBURG, July 28. /TASS/. The Russia-Africa summit has taken more time than scheduled due to detailed speeches by its participants, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told to TASS.
"The second session is still going on. The speeches are taking more time," he said.
Kremlin foreign policy aide Yury Ushakov said earlier that Friday’s schedule of the summit includes two plenary sessions. The morning session featured speeches by Russian President Vladimir Putin and African leaders. Ushakov said that the second session would take the format of a working breakfast, where the floor would be given to heads of delegations, such as vice presidents and ministers of participating countries. The official said the summit would be concluded by statements for news media by Putin and the president of the Union of the Comoros, Azali Assoumani, who is also the head of the African Union. A package of documents will also be approved at the end of the event, Ushakov said.
In addition, the Russian leader's schedule for Friday includes separate bilateral meetings with the leaders of several African countries and a working dinner with a group of African leaders dedicated to the Ukrainian issue.
Delegations from almost 50 countries are taking part in the summit.