MOSCOW, October 28. /TASS/. Western sanctions will not force Moscow to abandon cooperation with African countries, and its partners among BRICS members and within the Eurasian region, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said.

"No sanctions <…> will knock us off this path. We will continue to cooperate across all areas: with our African partners, with BRICS members, and with our neighbors within the greater Eurasian space," he told reporters on the sidelines of the Russia-Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum.

Speaking about Europe’s negative reaction to the Russian-Africa summit, Ryabkov noted that European countries have "cut themselves off from cooperation with Russia." "We certainly welcome the immense interest in the Moscow event on the African continent and beyond. The Russia-Africa Forum is an event of global significance, without exaggeration," he stressed.