When the BRICS foreign ministers convened in Nizhny Novgorod on 11 and 12 June 2024, it was the first time that three countries – South Africa, Egypt and Ethiopia – represented the African continent. Before that, only South Africa, which has been part of BRICS since 2012, acted in this capacity. This fact alone demonstrates Africa’s growing international role.
It is quite symbolic that the leaders of the new African BRICS participants will be attending their first BRICS summit in Russia, considering all the years our country has spent assisting African nations in their struggle against colonialism and for strengthening their national independence.
To understand the current state and prospects of Russia’s cooperation with the African continent, we must analyse the history of their relations and the way Russia has been supporting the African nations.
President of Russia Vladimir Putin praised the USSR’s African policy during his conversation with journalists at the Second Russia-Africa Summit in 2023, when he said: “And now, when I talk with our friends from Africa, I think with gratitude of the people who pursued such policy in Africa. They laid great foundations of durability, friendly relations with African countries.”
Russia has been gradually restoring its soft power, even if some of its measures may raise questions, and despite all the challenges it faces in this regard. There is obstacle on Russia’s path towards forging closer and comprehensive ties with the African countries, and this factor may even outweigh the sanctions. In fact, both Russia and Africa simply lack objective information about each other. We will never succeed in fulfilling the potential we have in terms of mutually beneficial cooperation, unless both sides can get rid of the stereotypes, which have been mostly imposed on us from the outside.
