Russia-Africa Summit preps gather pace

THE organising committee in charge of preparing for and holding the Russia–Africa Economic Forum and Summit in the Russian Federation in 2019 has held a meeting in Moscow.

The meeting was chaired by Russian Presidential aide Yury Ushakov and attended by advisor to the Russian president, Anton Kobyakov, Roscongress Foundation CEO Alexander Stuglev, Russian Deputy Minister of Finance Sergey Storchak, and Special Representative of the Russian President for the Middle East and Africa and Russian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Mikhail Bogdanov.

The meeting was also attended by representatives of ministries and departments that are involved in preparing for the events.

The meeting participants discussed organisational issues concerning preparations for business and protocol events as well as their specific details.

Ushakov reiterated just how monumental and important the upcoming events in the Russia-Africa format are.

“The organisation of the forum is a serious first step towards our economic and political return to Africa,” said Kobyakov, who serves as the executive secretary of the organising committee. “To date, 50 African heads of state have already confirmed they will be attending the Forum, which is a great success.

“Preparations for the most important events in the history of Russian-African relations have reached the finish line. A quarter of the world’s heads of state will come to Russia to discuss initiatives and strengthen Russian- African relations,” Ushakov said.