Russian Diplomat Points to Failed Western Attempts to Derail Russia-Africa Summit

"We don’t impose anything. Unlike the West, we respect the sovereign equality of states enshrined in the UN Charter," Mikhail Bogdanov emphasized

ST. PETERSBURG, July 27. /TASS/. Western countries failed to derail the second Russia-Africa Summit in St. Petersburg, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, who also serves as Special Presidential Envoy for the Middle East and Syria, told TASS.

"Absolutely. All attempts clearly failed," he said in response to a question. According to Bogdanov, the number of participants did not decline compared to the first summit; "about 20 top officials [heads of state or government] and numerous senior officials" have arrived to take part in the summit.

"We don’t impose anything. Unlike the West, we respect the sovereign equality of states enshrined in the UN Charter," the senior Russian diplomat emphasized. "Our African friends remember our assistance in their efforts to gain independence, and our current relations are about real action based on the principles of reciprocity and peer-to-peer dialogue," Bogdanov concluded.

The second Russia-Africa Summit, along with an economic and humanitarian forum, is taking place in the Russian city of St. Petersburg on July 27-28. Similar to the first such event, the summit is being held under the rubric "For Peace, Security and Development." The event is being organized by the Roscongress Foundation. TASS, which is the information partner and photo hosting agency of the summit and forum, is also hosting the second Russia-Africa media forum.