Advisor to the President of the Russian Federation, Executive Secretary of the Organizing Committee for the Preparation and Holding the Russia–Africa Summit and other events in the Russia-Africa format in the Russian Federation in 2019 Anton Kobyakov presided over an interagency meeting in Moscow.
The meeting was attended by representatives of the Presidential Executive Office, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Russian Ministry of Finance, the Federal Guard Services of the Russian Federation, Administration of Krasnodar Territory, the Russian Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing (Rospotrebnadzor), the Russian Export Center, and the Roscongress Foundation.
The participants discussed preparation of the venues to host the Russia–Africa Summit and the related Economic Forum that are scheduled for this October in Sochi. They also talked about financial and economic aspects of carrying out the events, preparation of the city and its infrastructure for the summit, as well as about work with participants, and security in the places of residence and movement of the delegates. Special attention was given to the need for repairs and restoration of the Main Media Centre and adjacent territories.
“Meeting an ambitious challenge is on the agenda. We expect about 70 leaders of African nations to take part in the Summit. I’m sure that the forthcoming summit will become an effective and important tool for multilateral co-operation of Russian and African economies on a number of social and economic issues. The events of the Economic Forum will, in their turn, help implement the interests and promote initiatives of the Russian Federation on the African Continent,” noted Anton Kobyakov.
Participants of the meeting addressed the invitation campaign, which already started. It involves over 7 thousand leaders of large global corporations that represent such sectors as industry, construction, consulting, telecommunications and IT, as well as representatives of financial and investment companies. Alexander Stuglev, Chairman of the Board and CEO of the Roscongress Foundation, noted that many of those companies were regular participants of Roscongress events, as well as A-listers in their fields. “The Russia–Africa agenda holds a special place among upcoming events managed by the Foundation in 2019. It will be a theme of a business dialogue at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, a series of expert reports united by the common theme of ‘Russia–Africa Shared Vision 2030’ is being prepared, a number of sessions and cross-country dialogues is scheduled for the Russian Energy Week. Besides, comprehensive work has been done with the Russian Export Center on preparing the Annual Meetings of the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) and Russia–Africa Economic Conference, that will be held in Moscow on 20–21 June this year,” said Alexander Stuglev.
Managing Director for International Development at the Russian Export Center Anna Belyaeva stated that the Annual Meetings of Afreximbank is not a routine corporate event. “The Annual Meetings of Afreximbank and the related Russia–Africa Economic Conference is the beginning of a long journey. In less than a month, we expect more than 1,000 delegates from Africa to arrive in Moscow, including 20 ministers of finance and industry of certain countries, African Union commissars, and the continent’s biggest businessmen working in various areas: from energy to agriculture to financial sector and investment attraction. It’s a unique chance to get to know Africa’s business potential first-hand and lay the foundation for developing relations,” commented Anna Belyaeva, emphasizing that the business programme of the Afreximbank’s events is designed to provide the Russian delegates with an unbiased and comprehensive idea of the situation on the continent.
The meeting resulted in specific assignments and deadlines set.