MOSCOW, June 25. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will take part on June 30 in a meeting of the business council, which will discuss preparations for the third Russia - Africa summit and economic cooperation with the countries of the continent, Foreign Ministry official spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a briefing.

"On June 30, a regular meeting of the Business Council under the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs will be held under the chairmanship of the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry. It will be dedicated to issues of trade, economic and investment cooperation with Africa. It is planned to discuss the current state and prospects for the implementation of mutually beneficial Russian-African projects with an emphasis on assisting the countries of the continent, strengthening their economic, energy, technological and food sovereignty, as well as training professional personnel," she said.

Special emphasis is expected to be placed on the high-quality preparation of the upcoming third Russia-Africa summit in Moscow in October, including the content of the economic and investment forum to be held on its sidelines, the diplomat said. "The participation of the heads of relevant ministries and departments, associations of business communities and domestic companies active in the African direction is expected," the diplomat added.