De Birhan
September 17, 2014
Over two decades after Russia had retreated its influence and relations with Africa, it has now come back to sign and start several new agreements and initiatives. Russia’s Minister of Foreign of Affairs, Sergey Lavrov, who began his first African trip in Zimbabwe yesterday signed co-operation deals and won diplomatic backing for the fight against Western sanctions, as AFP reported. They then signed a $3 bn platinum mining deal. Mugabe said the Western sanctions against Moscow were “illegal”.
Today, Lavrov headed to Addis Abeba. He met officials of the African Union (AU) and the Ethiopian government. Lavrov and Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma signed a memorandum on understanding (MOU) on political consultations mechanism, which envisages “permanent contacts between the Russian Foreign Ministry and the African Union on international arena and joining of efforts in the strengthening of peace and security, settlement of regional conflicts as well as economic and humanitarian problems with plans are to hold consultations at least once a year.”, Russian and Ethiopian media outlets reported.
Lavrov also on behalf of Russian President Valdimir Putin reportedly awarded Ambassador Smail Chergui, AU’s Commissioner for Peace and Security, with the Order of Friendship.
Ethiopian state media outlets also reported that Lavrov and Ethiopian government officials have reached “new political and economic agreements which includes the starting of a direct flight from Addis Abeba to Moscow, Russia.”
Although the impacts and intentions of these new moves by Russia require robust and critical policy and academic assessments mainly from geopolitical and international relations perspectives, Russia’s “new, swift and large scale interest and penetration” in Africa raises eyebrows and calls for attention.
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