by Mario Lettieri and Paolo Raimondi * –
The second Russia-Africa summit ended in St. Petersburg on 28 July. 49 African states took part, represented in some cases by heads of government, in others by foreign ministers or ambassadors. The first summit was organized in Sochi in October 2019. In the meantime the world has been profoundly changed by Covid and the war in Ukraine.
Many press tried to present the summit as a failure, since, compared to the one in Sochi, fewer heads of state and government would be present in St. Petersburg. The fact is true, we have gone from 43 heads of state to 17, the result of great Western pressure. Even if this time other important heads of state came, such as that of Cameroon, who had not been to Sochi.
In our opinion, it would be a serious geopolitical miscalculation if the West, and in particular the European Union, evaluated the summit simply as an act of propaganda by Moscow or as a surrender by Africa to the pressures and supposed “manipulations” of the Russia.
Instead, it would be appropriate to read the Final Declaration not as a compromise of positions but as a programmatic declaration of intent of the African countries towards the whole world. Obviously, the hand of the Kremlin was there but it limited itself to ensuring that the word “Ukraine” was never mentioned in the Declaration.
Africa reaffirms the need to oppose neocolonialism, which imposes conditions and double standards, and not to allow these practices to deprive states and peoples of the right to make sovereign choices in their development paths. It calls for “contrast the imposition in international organizations, mainly in the United Nations, of dividing lines that hinder the effective search for solutions to urgent issues on the UN agenda, including those affecting vital interests of African states… The Africa wants to contribute to the creation of a more just, balanced and stable multipolar world order”. This is no small matter even compared to the closures of the US and the West in general with respect to this need.
In the economic and programmatic fields, Africa’s positions are even more precise. It states “opposition to the application of illegitimate unilateral restrictive measures, even secondary ones, and to the practice of freezing sovereign currency reserves.” Obviously it is also a statement in Russia’s interest, due to the sanctions imposed by the West, but above all it reflects the growing concern, repeatedly expressed by all the emerging countries, about the generalized use of sanctions as a weapon of war.
Africa’s support for a multilateral political process is clearly manifested when it declares its willingness to contribute to sustainable global economic growth and a more representative system of international economic governance to respond effectively to global and regional economic and financial challenges. And even when we want to “facilitate the restructuring of the global financial architecture to better address the growing needs of development and reflect the interests and growing influence of developing countries and to overcome the negative impact of the conditions imposed on them in relation to the full and effective enjoyment of human rights.”
Naturally, deep concern is expressed about global food security challenges, including rising food and fertilizer prices, and the disruption of international supply chains, which have a disproportionate impact on the African continent. It also argues for the need for inclusive multilateral financial measures that ease the debt burden for low- and middle-income countries.
Decisive for Africa is “respect for the fundamental principles and purposes of the United Nations Charter to promote the central coordinating role of the UN as the primary global multilateral mechanism.” The accession of the African Union (AU) to the G20 would be an important step in the right direction, as would the desired partnership of the AU with the BRICS.
Particularly relevant is precisely the centrality given to the UN with respect to the role assigned to it by the 193 member countries. Unfortunately, despite the drama of this delicate moment, European countries have chosen to play a subordinate role.
