On African-European Summit and Munich Security Conference

opinion .

Over the past few days, two important conferences had been held.

The first conference relations between the African and European continents, and the second linked to the future of security in the world.

The first conference related to the African- European summit was held over two days in Brussels. It was attended by heads of states as well as representatives of the two continents.

The second conference is related Munich Security Conference which was attended by senior officials in the world.

However, some active players such as Burkina Faso, Mali, Guinea, and Sudan absented these conferences because the African Union has suspended memberships of these countries following military coups there, meanwhile Russia absented Munich Conference for Security.

During the African- European Summit, the European and African Unions set foundations of renewable partnerships and assistance to produce anti-Corona vaccines in African countries.

The 27 member-states of the European Union have launched " the International Strategy for Investment" that allots 150 billion euros over seven years to fund projects wanted by Africans.

The European and Africans prioritize the infrastructure projects such as transport, digital networks, and energy according to the concluding declaration of the summit.

Europeans promised to supply Africans with 450 million doses of the anti-Corona vaccines by next summer to African countries to produce their own vaccines according to the "mRNA" technique which is a program that was revealed by the World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday.

The European Union will raise 450 million euros to accelerate vaccination campaigns, support the distribution of vaccines, and train medical crews.

It is worth noting that only 11% of Africans have been vaccinated against COVID-19.

On the other hand, Europeans called for transferring technology under their supervision but they also declare their opposition to terminating the right of patents regarding developing the anti-Corona vaccines which appealed to Africans, especially President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa.

All know that the strategy of investing 150 billion euros in Africa aims at confronting Russian and Chinese influence, and everyone knows that the strategies of China and Russia in the region are deeper than being removed by some European financial aids that may reach here and there or may not arrive. Unlike China, for example, which works without agitation in Africa and does not only build roads but also forms friendships and military alliances in the continent, it depends on investing in building social and human capital.

A study conducted by the US "McKinsey Agency" indicates that more than 1,000 Chinese companies are currently working in Africa.

Some sources talk about 2,500 Chinese companies, 90 percent of which are private companies.

It is also not a secret to strategic observers that the military presence in Africa is; China has already sent two naval battleships to the Horn of Africa, specifically to Djibouti, where it has a military and logistical base there.

More than 400 Chinese soldiers have been deployed at this base to secure navigation routes in the Horn of Africa at the level of the Gulf of Aden and the Horn of Africa.

As for the Munich Security Conference, the great fear among Europeans and America is the outbreak of a new war in Europe.

Meanwhile, Russia is one of the major players in Europe. Russia is backed by the great military power of China.

For the first time, Beijing joined Moscow in asking the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) not to accept any new members.

This fear is summed up by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen by saying that Russia has begun to "undermine" the European security architecture and as Russia making a "blatant attempt to rewrite the rules of the world order".

"We cannot allow this to happen, we are facing a blatant attempt to rewrite the rules of the world order," Leyen said during the Munich Security Conference.

She also denounced a Russian-Chinese alliance that seeks to impose the "Law of the Strongest".

There is no doubt that the escalation in recent weeks in Ukraine, amid Western accusations of Russia of planning to invade the neighboring country, "may reshape the world order".

The Russian forces that were deployed to borders with Ukraine are considered the biggest since the worst day of the cold war.

To sum up: Europe began to feel the loss of its historical prestige and strategic presence in Africa, especially after the French and then European military forces were forced to leave Mali.

Also, Russia and China have at the present time, joint goals, not only in Africa but also in the entire world to terminate the American hegemony over the global system.

Both Russia and China plan to influence the world system to become main actors to be counted among the more influential players.

The two countries seek to build a new international order based on their own vision of international relations.

Translated by Ahmed Moamar