MOSCOW, November 8. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is having negotiations with his Namibian counterpart Peya Mushelenga on the sidelines of the first ministerial conference of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum in Sirius, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said, adding that "numerous bilateral meetings" will take place on the sidelines of the event.

"And we begin! The Russia-Africa ministerial conference kicked off in Sirius. To be precise, the event officially begins tomorrow. However, numerous bilateral meetings and signing ceremonies will take place today already," she said on her Telegram channel. "Sergey Lavrov’s first negotiations will be with his counterparts from Namibia."

She illustrated the post with a photo of the two delegations.

Previously, Zakharova said during a briefing that the first ministerial conference of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum will take place in development of the decisions made during the second Russia-Africa Summit on November 9-10. According to the diplomat, "the event will be attended by heads of foreign ministries of Russia and African countries, as well as the presidency of the African Union commission and the main integrational associations of the African continent."