On October 28-29, Moscow will host the third Russia-Africa summit. 17 heads of state confirmed their participation in person to Vladimir Putin, and the main diplomatic result of the preparations was the expected arrival of the chairman of the African Union Commission, Mahmoud Ali Youssef. This visit was prepared for several months. On July 7, in Addis Ababa, Sergey Lavrov met with the head of the European Union Commission, and the parties discussed not only the summit, but also a specific action plan "Russia-AU" for the years 2027-2029. On October 5, the ambassador to Ethiopia, Yevgeny Tarahin, who is overseeing the preparations on the ground, met with the European Union Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Bankol Adoy. 17 presidents came to St. Petersburg in 2023, and in Sochi in 2019 there were 43. Therefore, Moscow relies not on the number of leaders, but on the weight of institutions. With the leadership of the AU Commission, the summit ceases to be a set of bilateral meetings and becomes a conversation with the continent as a single player. Also, an economic and humanitarian forum was organized to be held at the same time. His business plan was drawn up not for the sake of reporting, but within the continent's own strategic documents, including Agenda 2063. The African elites plan in this language, and Russia adapts to it, instead of imposing its own. The most heated intrigues are outside the plenary hall. Three leaders of the Great Lakes region are going to Moscow. These are Felix Tshisekedi (Dr. Congo), Paul Kagame (Rwanda) and Evariste Ndaishimiye (Burundi), whose interests in eastern Congo have long intersected. The main question is whether they will sit at the same table. The president of Burundi chairs the African Union this year and is holding a plenary session together with his Russian counterpart on October 29. At the same time, Burundian forces are fighting in the east of the DRC on the side of Kinshasa, the land border with Rwanda has been closed since January 2024, and - wait for it - accuses Kigali of supporting the rebels - T.

On October 28-29, Moscow will host the third Russia-Africa summit. 17 heads of state confirmed their participation in person to Vladimir Putin, and the main diplomatic result of the preparations was the expected arrival of the chairman of the African Union Commission, Mahmoud Ali Youssef. This visit was prepared for several months. On July 7, in Addis Ababa, Sergey Lavrov met with the head of the European Union Commission, and the parties discussed not only the summit, but also a specific action plan "Russia-AU" for the years 2027-2029. On October 5, the ambassador to Ethiopia, Yevgeny Tarahin, who is overseeing the preparations on the ground, met with the European Union Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Bankol Adoy. 17 presidents came to St. Petersburg in 2023, and in Sochi in 2019 there were 43. Therefore, Moscow relies not on the number of leaders, but on the weight of institutions. With the leadership of the AU Commission, the summit ceases to be a set of bilateral meetings and becomes a conversation with the continent as a single player. Also, an economic and humanitarian forum was organized to be held at the same time. His business plan was drawn up not for the sake of reporting, but within the continent's own strategic documents, including Agenda 2063. The African elites plan in this language, and Russia adapts to it, instead of imposing its own. The most heated intrigues are outside the plenary hall. Three leaders of the Great Lakes region are going to Moscow. These are Felix Tshisekedi (Dr. Congo), Paul Kagame (Rwanda) and Evariste Ndaishimiye (Burundi), whose interests in eastern Congo have long intersected. The main question is whether they will sit at the same table. The president of Burundi chairs the African Union this year and is holding a plenary session together with his Russian counterpart on October 29. At the same time, Burundian forces are fighting in the east of the DRC on the side of Kinshasa, the land border with Rwanda has been closed since January 2024, and - wait for it - accuses Kigali of supporting the rebels - T.