Cairo: Minister of Foreign Affairs, Emigration and Egyptian Expatriates Badr Abdelatty said the partnership between Russia and Africa serves as a model for cooperation based on shared interests. Abdelatty’s remarks came at a joint news conference held Saturday 20/12/2025 with Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov at the conclusion of the 2nd ministerial conference of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum in Cairo.
According to State Information Service Egypt, Abdelatty welcomed the Russian diplomat and all African ministers who participated in the conference Egypt hosted as part of its key role in this partnership, especially after President Abdel Fattah El Sisi and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin co-chaired the first Russia-Africa Summit in Sochi.
Asserting the importance of the 2nd ministerial conference of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum, held for the first time in Africa, Abdelatty underscored the importance of establishing balanced partnerships between Africa and various countries, which would contribute to achieving the legitimate goals of peace, security, and development in line with Agenda 2063.
He noted that this conference comes at a time of great international and regional complexity, with several regions in Africa and elsewhere facing growing challenges in terms of security, development, and stability.
The conference conveys a clear message about the importance of dialogue and respect for the principles of sovereignty and non-interference in the internal affairs of states as indispensable foundations for achieving sustainable stability and security, the foreign minister said.
The Russian-African partnership is indeed a model of cooperation based on shared interests, focusing on the priorities of the African continent in terms of economic development, capacity building, and technology transfer, he added.
He noted that a raft of international issues of common interest were discussed during the conference, topped by the need for a more just and balanced international system that takes the current global reality and ensures broader representation of developing countries, especially in Africa, within global bodies, particularly the UN Security Council.
Abdelatty said he affirmed during the conference the unified African position on that score, which is based on the Ezulwini Consensus.
He said the conference offered a great platform to explore opportunities for cooperation between Russia and African countries for economic and industrial development, increasing joint investments, capacity building, achieving food security, and promoting technology transfer.
As regards regional political issues, the conference reflected agreement on some important points, prominent among which is the importance of building strong national institutions capable of confronting security challenges, particularly terrorism; supporting African efforts to maintain peace, security, and stability; de-escalating existing tensions; and supporting political processes based on international law and legitimacy.
He added that Egypt’s decades-long efforts for development in Africa, including water projects, had also been reviewed during the conference.
Abdelatty emphasized Egypt’s readiness to provide more support in this respect by leveraging the role of the Egyptian Agency for Partnership for Development and the Cairo International Centre for Conflict Resolution and Peacebuilding, and Egypt’s presidency of the steering committee of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development Agency (NEPAD), as well as President Sisi’s leading role as champion of reconstruction and development.
The conference also emphasized the importance of finding political solutions to all conflicts, Abdelatty pointed out.
As for the Palestinian issue, Abdelatty said all conferees agreed that achieving a just and comprehensive peace requires the implementation of the two-state solution in accordance with international legitimacy resolutions and in a manner that guarantees the establishment of the Palestinian state along the June 4, 1967, borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Congratulating Egypt on the successful organization of the conference, Lavrov said participants shared views on many issues, including the joint action plan between Africa and Russia for 2026-2029.
“We focused on cooperation in trade, economy, energy, and investment and agreed to develop and strengthen this cooperation,” added the Russian foreign minister.
“We also agreed to promote trade exchange and implement projects in the field of technology and develop cultural and humanitarian relations and cooperation,” Lavrov said, noting that the joint declaration issued by the forum reflected these cooperation trajectories.
The conference also focused on financial and logistical cooperation to protect and defend against international sanctions by some countries, and we also discussed global and regional issues of mutual interest, Lavrov pointed out.
Lavrov said it had also been agreed to enhance political coordination in international forums, including reform of the UN Security Council.
He noted that the conferees also discussed the importance of strengthening the independence and sovereignty of African states in all areas, especially energy.
“We agreed to continue our work in confronting contemporary colonialism,” the Russian diplomat said, indicating that the joint statement also reflected agreement on the Palestinian issue and a shared desire to strengthen political and security cooperation.
Lavrov said the conference laid the groundwork for the action plan for the 3rd Russia-Africa Summit. He added that it had also been agreed to prepare a report on the new cooperation plan for 2026-2029.