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US believes Africa will determine world’s future — Blinken

As the US Secretary of State said, the US is trying to build stronger partnerships with countries in Africa and work together to overcome challenges

PARIS, August 9. /TASS/. The future of the world will largely depend on the future of Africa; in this regard, the US is paying great attention to relations with the continent’s countries, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in an interview with Radio France International (RFI) published on Tuesday.

"I am not here (in South Africa - TASS) because there is competition with anyone else. This is not a trip, not just a trip or an American engagement in Africa because of another country. But, on the contrary, because the future of the world will be defined in a very important way in Africa. Between now and 2050, one citizen of this planet out of four will be African, between now and 2025, 50% of the African population will be 25 or under. So, it’s the future, quite concretely which is being decided in Africa," the diplomat, who was interviewed in French, said.

According to Blinken, the US is trying to build stronger partnerships with countries in Africa and work together to overcome challenges, including dealing with climate change and the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

"So, for us, it’s not at all a question of imposing a choice, but rather of offering a choice to countries in Africa. And we have a very positive agenda for this future. I had an opportunity here in South Africa, to speak a bit more about our strategy for Africa and I will talk about it more during my subsequent trips in the future," the diplomat said.

Blinken's visit to South Africa began on Sunday. South Africa was the first of three countries the Secretary of State is visiting during his current trip. The Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda are the next stops of his African tour, which is set to conclude on August 11.

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