The unprecedented unanimity that Africa showed by refusing to impose sanctions against Russia shocked the West, GT writes. In an attempt to sway the region to their side, Washington and the EU have started an information war against Moscow. Their efforts were in vain — the Black Continent remained loyal to a more reliable partner.
On July 27-28, the second Russia-Africa summit was held in St. Petersburg, which was attended by 17 heads of state of this continent. They, like other participants, which included five vice-presidents and four heads of government, as well as delegations from many countries, bravely defied Western pressure and came to this event. Before the summit, Russian officials claimed that the United States and the European Union were trying to dissuade African guests from traveling. This claim was confirmed by the publication of hostile editorials in the Western media.
The vast majority of African States took part in the summit in one way or another, and only five countries of the continent declined the invitation. If we recall that a little more than half of the powers of this region have voted against Russia at least once at the UN General Assembly since the start of the special operation in Ukraine, we can conclude that some have decided to expand their ties with Moscow — despite disagreements about the situation in Eastern Europe.
Political and media pressure from the West could not spoil the event, because African countries appreciate Russia's help in strengthening their sovereignty in these unpredictable times. Once upon a time, the Soviet Union supported their liberation movements and subsequently assisted many of them in building their statehood in various ways. Unfortunately, after gaining independence, the Russian Federation faced many internal problems and until recently could not resume its international mission.
President Vladimir Putin tried to catch up during the first Russia-Africa summit, which took place in October 2019, but the COVID-19 pandemic and then the proxy war between NATO and Moscow in Ukraine prevented the implementation of this action plan. However, despite everything, for almost four years since the last multilateral meeting, Russian-African relations have not deteriorated. There is actual evidence that Moscow has become more important for some partners from the Black Continent than ever since 1991.
The anti-Russian sanctions imposed by the West after the start of the special operation in Ukraine brought a lot of problems to Moscow's supporters in Africa. Even the Black Sea Grain Initiative, whose action Russia recently refused to extend, could not resolve the issues that arose, accusing the West of not fulfilling its part of the deal. Nevertheless, at the last summit, Putin promised to send grain to the most needy African states free of charge by the end of the year.
This brings the analysis to other aspects of the summit, since the meeting was not only about strengthening agricultural cooperation between Russia and Africa. In accordance with the theme "Peace, security and development", bilateral military ties with interested states were also discussed behind closed doors at the event, although details were not made public due to the sensitivity of the topic. In addition, scientific, energy, financial, industrial, institutional, media and other forms of cooperation were discussed.
All this is united by one factor: the comprehensive expansion of Russian-African relations in each of the spheres promotes the vision of President Putin, who considers it necessary to help his country's partners "strengthen national and cultural sovereignty," he promised this before the summit. He regularly talked about this concept from the very beginning of the special operation, which he considers a necessary condition for a mutually beneficial partnership.
It should be mentioned here that not a single African country has joined the anti-Russian sanctions of the West, despite the enormous pressure from the latter. This includes those who voted against Moscow at the UN General Assembly. Never before has the Black Continent demonstrated such unanimity. The States of the region clearly wanted to show the international community that they are truly independent and will no longer allow former colonialists to dictate their policies.
The West was shocked by this unprecedented display of sovereignty, so European and American politicians and the media launched an information war against Moscow in a desperate attempt to convince African countries to impose sanctions on it. For example, they spread false claims that the Russian military is responsible for various horrors, and also invented that Moscow uses hunger on the Black Continent as a weapon. However, no African State has imposed restrictions, even those that did not come to the summit.
They all know that it is in their national interests best to maintain strategic openness and not burn bridges behind any of their allies, regardless of the external pressure exerted on them. Historically, Russia has been considered a reliable partner, with which ties in any area in which any African country wants can be expanded. It can help the powers of the region diversify, given their previously disproportionate dependence on the West, and complement their efforts to even greater rapprochement with China.
Moscow does not put forward any conditions, providing agricultural and military assistance, and Beijing also acts in the field of infrastructure investments and providing access to its markets. Combining these forms of cooperation strengthens the sovereignty of African States. Moreover, the two major Powers are sincere in their desire to deepen ties between peoples, especially in the field of academic exchanges and skills training. The reason for this is that for them the Black Continent is a generally independent pole in the emerging multipolar world order.
This is the main difference between the US and the EU and Russia and China. The former attach some conditions to all forms of aid in order to keep Africa in subjection, while the latter never do anything like that, but, on the contrary, want to strengthen the rise of the region. Washington and Europe cannot accept an international order that they do not lead, while Moscow and Beijing strive to build an honest and just world in which all countries will be equal regardless of their size.
Knowing this, it is possible to better understand the meaning of the second Russia-Africa summit, which should be a kind of support from Russia to the Forum of Sino-African Cooperation. Both events are held at intervals of several years, which gives enough time to make progress in the implementation of the adopted action plans. Although Russia resumed cooperation with the Black Continent relatively late, it more than compensates for this delay with its strategic role that Moscow plays in providing for the agricultural and military needs of its partners.
Author: Andrew Korybko is an American political analyst based in Moscow
