MOSCOW, September 8. /TASS/. Participants in the G20 summit in New Delhi on September 9-10 will approve the admission of the African Union (AU) as a member of the global intergovernmental forum, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement ahead of the event, at which Moscow will be represented by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

"Particular focus will be placed on the initiative to grant the African Union full G20 membership. Russia was one of the first countries to support the membership application from our African partners. Admission of this regional union as a G20 member is scheduled to take place at the New Delhi summit, with a corresponding provision being included in the leaders’ draft declaration," the ministry said.

The Russian foreign policy agency expressed confidence that Russia and the African Union will join forces "to make a major contribution to efforts toward democratization of international financial and commercial institutions and to give an impetus to the implementation of SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals - TASS), while removing all manner of disparities and gaps in the industrial and research spheres." To this end, the Russian Foreign Ministry said, Russia and the AU could rely on the results achieved at the second Russia-Africa Summit, which was held in St. Petersburg in late July, as a solid basis for across-the-board cooperation.