A prominent Egyptian presence and African interest in the Russian Forum

The Russian –African summit held in St. Petersburg witnessed African interest and a prominent Egyptian presence.

The activities of the Russia-Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum kicked off yesterday in its second edition to monitor the implementation of many agreements signed at the first forum held in Sochi in 2019.

In his speech, Russia's President Vladimir Putin welcomed the African guests, stressing that the future belongs to Africa.

Putin revealed that the volume of economic exchange between Russia and Africa reached $17 billion and that Russia did not stop supplying Africa with wheat despite Western Europe's obstacles to exporting Russian wheat to Africa.

He indicated that the industrial zone, which will be established in cooperation with Egypt in the Canal Zone, will help a lot in supporting trade relations with African countries by facilitating the export process through Egypt and with its participation.

The opening ceremony witnessed a Russian welcome to President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, where President Putin thanked President El-Sisi for Egypt's great contributions to the success of the first forum in Sochi.

The conference also witnessed a distinguished Egyptian presence with the participation of the President and a large Egyptian media presence.

On the other hand, the African delegations, through the words of many ministers and ambassadors, expressed their happiness with the participation.

The African officials affirmed that the African countries reject the American pressure to boycott the forum because those countries move from their national interests, and seek to enhance cooperation with the Russian side.

For his part, Ambassador Ezzat Saad, the former Egyptian ambassador to Moscow, indicated that President Putin's speech answered the concerns of the African people related to the global food crisis and the promotion of economic cooperation between both parties.

For his part, Sherif Gad, head of the Egyptian Association for Graduates of Russian and Soviet Universities, indicated that the atmosphere within the forum reflects the mutual desire of the Russian and African sides to move forward in enhancing joint cooperation, especially in the fields of food, energy, trade exchange, and education.

Translated by Ahmed Moamar