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West seeks to exploit Africa for its own gain — Lavrov

According to the top Russian diplomat, Western countries see relations with African nations and other countries of the Global South solely "as an opportunity to live at the expense of others and make one-sided gains"

© Mikhail Metzel/Russian Presidential Press and Information Office/TASS

OUAGADOUGOU /Burkina Faso/, June 5. /TASS/. The West is stuck in a neo-colonial mindset, thinking that it can dictate terms to African countries and exploit them as it pleases, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.

"The West is still playing zero-sum games as it is unable to comprehend equal cooperation," the top diplomat stressed at a press conference following his visit to Burkina Faso. "It [the West] is still infected with the virus of colonialism and neo-colonialism, which is the driving force behind its relations with the global majority," Lavrov added.

According to him, Western countries see relations with African nations and other countries of the Global South solely "as an opportunity to live at the expense of others and make one-sided gains."

On Tuesday night, Lavrov arrived in Burkina Faso’s capital of Ouagadougou for his first ever visit to the West African nation. As part of his African tour, the top Russian diplomat earlier made trips to Guinea and the Republic of the Congo.

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