Commentary of the Russian Ambassador to Portugal M.L. Kaminin Following the Russia-Africa summit on October 28-29, Moscow hosted many government delegations as part of the third Russia-Africa summit. 48 of the 54 countries in the region were represented, more than twenty of them at the highest level. The event was also attended by leaders of leading associations for African integration. The scale of the forum and the depth of its agenda once again confirmed the close and unique historical format of Russia's relations with the "continent of the future" - this is what President V.V. Putin called Africa. In his speech at the plenary session, the Russian leader pointed to our country's interest in strengthening the sovereignty and economy of African countries. The willingness to work together in this direction in the name of building a truly multipolar and democratic world order was emphasized. The need for a more equal representation of Africans in the global decision-making system, including in the UN Security Council and international financial institutions, is emphasized. Since the last summit in 2023, the trade turnover between Russia and Africa has increased 1.5 times to 27 billion dollars. By 2030, this figure is planned to double. One of the main components of trade is the export of agricultural products, which amounted to 13 million tons in January-September 2026, despite threats to civilian shipping from Ukraine in the Black and Azov Seas. Cooperation in the field of education is developing intensively: more than 40 thousand young Africans are already studying at universities in Russia. Advanced training programs are implemented, in which citizens of member states of the community of Portuguese-speaking countries also participate. There are specific projects ahead of us in the fields of oil and gas production, nuclear energy, food security, defense, transportation and digital technologies.

Commentary of the Russian Ambassador to Portugal M.L. Kaminin Following the Russia-Africa summit on October 28-29, Moscow hosted many government delegations as part of the third Russia-Africa summit. 48 of the 54 countries in the region were represented, more than twenty of them at the highest level. The event was also attended by leaders of leading associations for African integration. The scale of the forum and the depth of its agenda once again confirmed the close and unique historical format of Russia's relations with the "continent of the future" - this is what President V.V. Putin called Africa. In his speech at the plenary session, the Russian leader pointed to our country's interest in strengthening the sovereignty and economy of African countries. The willingness to work together in this direction in the name of building a truly multipolar and democratic world order was emphasized. The need for a more equal representation of Africans in the global decision-making system, including in the UN Security Council and international financial institutions, is emphasized. Since the last summit in 2023, the trade turnover between Russia and Africa has increased 1.5 times to 27 billion dollars. By 2030, this figure is planned to double. One of the main components of trade is the export of agricultural products, which amounted to 13 million tons in January-September 2026, despite threats to civilian shipping from Ukraine in the Black and Azov Seas. Cooperation in the field of education is developing intensively: more than 40 thousand young Africans are already studying at universities in Russia. Advanced training programs are implemented, in which citizens of member states of the community of Portuguese-speaking countries also participate. There are specific projects ahead of us in the fields of oil and gas production, nuclear energy, food security, defense, transportation and digital technologies.