Anton Kobyakov, adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin, has announced that Russia is working towards establishing free trade zones with four Arab-African nations.
Speaking at a press conference on the sidelines of the inaugural ministerial conference of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum, Kobyakov highlighted the beginning of “discussions regarding the formation of such agreements with Egypt, Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia.”
Kobyakov elaborated on ongoing talks aimed at harmonizing trade and investment laws with several African states, including South Africa, Zimbabwe, Angola, Zambia, Mozambique, and Nigeria.
He emphasized that these free trade agreements could “serve as a significant component” in strengthening the economic partnership between Russia and Africa.
The Russian adviser underscored Moscow’s commitment to deepening ties with Africa across a range of sectors, including “food security, peace and sovereignty guarantees, education access, human relations, training, and involvement in parallel unions, preserving Africa’s unique character, healthcare, energy security, and economic development.”
“Ensuring the security of African nations is a practical and vital necessity for Russia,” Kobyakov stated, noting that Russia has already signed technical military cooperation agreements with 33 countries across the continent.
In a related context, Kobyakov announced Russia’s intention to establish an independent financial infrastructure for payments, with plans to increase the share of transactions between Russia and Africa conducted in the currencies of friendly countries to 90% by 2030.
The ministerial conference of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum, which commenced on Saturday in the Sirius Federal District of Sochi, Russia, aims to follow up on decisions made during the second Russia-Africa summit held in Saint Petersburg in the summer of 2023.
The event brings together foreign ministers from Russia and African nations, alongside representatives from the African Union Commission and leaders of regional integration bodies.
