Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s video address to participants of the 4th International Youth Forum “Russia - Africa: What’s Next?” and the 1st Russia - Africa Young Diplomats Forum, Moscow, April 23, 2025

Colleagues, friends,

I am pleased to welcome the participants of the 4th International Forum “Russia - Africa: What’s Next?” which is a platform of high standing for Russian-African youth dialogue. I would like to begin by thanking the leadership of MGIMO, personally Rector Anatoly Torkunov, and everyone else involved in making today’s event, which widely represents our friends from Africa, possible.

Russian-African friendship and partnership have a long history: in the past century, our country selflessly helped Africans in their courageous struggle for freedom and independence.

Advancing relations with the African countries is among our unconditional priorities, and this approach is enshrined in the Foreign Policy Concept of the Russian Federation approved by President Vladimir Putin.

We support the Africans’ push to be active players in international affairs. We will continue to help strengthen the continent’s position as an independent centre of power in the emerging multipolar world order.

Russian-African relations are on the rise. The Russia-Africa summits in 2019 and 2023, as well as the Russia-Africa Ministerial Conference in Sochi in November 2024, were a major milestone.

Practical cooperation in trade and the economy, as well as humanitarian projects, is making great strides. In order to provide such a multifaceted field of activity with the necessary resources, the Department for Partnership with Africa was created at the Foreign Ministry in January 2025. Its functions include promoting political, economic, scientific, educational, and cultural ties with the African integration associations.

Russia provides support to African countries in order to strengthen their political and economic sovereignty. Russian institutions of higher education train skilled personnel for African countries. Russia provides a significant number of quotas at the expense of the federal budget. We will continue to help Africans in their quest for advanced technologies.

Together with our African friends, we oppose modern practices of neo-colonialism. We believe it is important to combine our efforts in order to create mechanisms for economic ties and international trade services that are beyond Western control.

Africa is the continent of the future, and the future is created by young people. This applies fully to foreign policy. Therefore, we are pleased that for the first time the Russia-Africa Forum of Young Diplomats will be held on the sidelines of your event. We welcome this initiative by the Council of Young Diplomats of the Russian Foreign Ministry. Such a meeting fits in well with numerous MGIMO initiatives devoted to Africa, such as Africa in the Focus of Russian Interests, School of Young Africanists on Food Security, as well as Africa Week, and the MGIMO Model African Union. I am convinced that the Forum participants will contribute to deepening Russian-African strategic cooperation and bringing it to new frontiers.

Friends,

You will be discussing a wide range of issues, including promising areas of Russia’s relations with the African countries and African integration associations, food security and combatting neo-colonialism, as well as various aspects of cooperation in research, education, media, sports, and other spheres.

Enjoy productive discussions and establish mutually useful contacts. All the best to you!