Addis Ababa, October 28, 2026 (FMC) — Russia views African countries as sovereign and equal partners and supports their emergence as an independent center of global development within a more just, multipolar world, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova has said.
Speaking at a meeting with African media representatives during the business program of the Russia–Africa Media Forum in Moscow, Zakharova said Russia stood in solidarity with African states in their pursuit of a more equitable international order and efforts to address socioeconomic inequality.
Quoting Russia’s updated Foreign Policy Concept, she said Moscow intended to support Africa’s further emergence as a distinctive and influential center of global development, while challenging socioeconomic inequalities that she attributed to the neocolonial policies of some developed countries toward the continent.
Zakharova emphasized that Russia’s relations with African countries were founded on sovereign equality, mutual respect and mutual benefit, describing African states as independent partners rather than participants in great-power rivalry. She also stressed that Russia had historically never been a colonizer or supported the slave trade.
She further noted that Russia and African countries had developed a steadily expanding diplomatic partnership, describing their cooperation as comprehensive and rooted in a spirit of brotherhood.
Her remarks underscored Moscow’s stated commitment to strengthening ties with African countries and supporting their role in shaping a multipolar international order.
Reporter: Ashebir Kassahun