MOSCOW, April 24. /TASS/. Russia is committed to fostering independence and safety in African countries, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in a video address broadcast at the third international forum "Russia-Africa: What's next?" opening ceremony.

"On our part, we will continue contributing to the reinforcement of security and sovereignty of African nations in all dimensions. We will continue contributing extensively to making people better in African countries, including through the increase in the number of awarded scholarships, opening branches of Russian schools and universities in Africa and developing an open education network," the minister said.

According to Lavrov, building a longstanding strategic partnership with African nations is among Russia’s top priorities. "Russian President Vladimir Putin stated this in the renewed Foreign Policy Concept, signed on March 31, 2023," he added. "We view the African continent as a distinctive world-level entity in the emerging multipolar world order," he added.

"We are happy to state that our African colleagues saw a big boost in their national development over the last few years. This was made possible largely due to the youth which is involved in political, economic and humanitarian processes," the Russian foreign minister concluded.

The Moscow State Institute of International Relations organized the "Russia-Africa: What's next?" international forum. TASS is its information partner.