In response to the dissatisfaction voiced by some of its remaining allies, the Kremlin vowed to offer “necessary assurances” to the concerned parties present at the summit. Kenya’s Foreign Secretary Korir Sing'Oei last week labeled the withdrawal “a stab in the back at global food security prices,” while Egyptian Supply Minister Ali El-Mosilhy said his country “wasn’t pleased” with Russia’s decision. Russia’s recent withdrawal from the Ukraine grain deal, which threatens to further increase acute food insecurity on the African continent, is expected to dominate both official and behind-the-scenes discussions. “The other calculation has to do with the awareness…that Russia is waging a criminal war,” said Kłyszcz, noting that potential reputational damage and a possible negative effect the attendance could have for other bilateral ties likely tipped the scale for many African leaders. “For one, there is no expectation that the Russian economy will boom and that it will become…a profitable market any time soon,” Kłyszcz told The Moscow Times. “The stance of the U.S., France and other states should be condemned…They are taking away African states’ sovereign right to choose their partners,” Peskov told journalists on Tuesday.īut African leaders’ decision to refrain from visiting Russia was likely an independent and well-calculated political decision, albeit one that took into account the West’s ever-worsening relationship with Russia, according to expert Kłyszcz. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov claimed that French and American diplomats across Africa were attempting to persuade local leaders against attending the summit. In light of the shrinking attendance, the event’s duration was also shortened to just two days compared to the four-day summit of 2019. Presidential adviser Yuri Ushakov said Tuesday that only 17 of 49 states participating in the summit will be represented by their respective heads of state, including Egypt, Mozambique, South Africa, Uganda and Zimbabwe. “This summit was such an important feature in Russian diplomacy for the past year…but now that it is approaching, Russia is trying to downplay it,” said Ivan Kłyszcz, an expert on Russia-Africa relations at the International Center for Defense and Security in Tallinn, Estonia. Petersburg on Thursday, comes as Moscow increasingly turns to African countries in the face of its deepening isolation from the West over the invasion of Ukraine.īut experts say that the widely anticipated summit will likely be much smaller in size and scope than the inaugural event held in Sochi in 2019. The second Russia-Africa Summit, due to commence in St. The Kremlin will be seeking to clinch new economic agreements and partnerships across the African continent as it hosts delegations from dozens of African states this week - but may come away with less than it hopes for.
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