1st Russia-Africa ministerial conference opens in Sochi, focusing on deepening regional alliances

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - The first-ever ministerial conference of the Russia-Africa Partnership forum, chaired by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, opened in the city of Sochi on Saturday.

The two-day event is taking place at Sirius University, with the participation of foreign ministers from Russia and African states, as well as the leadership of the African Union Commission and major continental integration associations, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The business program on the sidelines of the conference features roundtable discussions and panel sessions on key items on the Russian-African agenda, including security, trade and investment, industrialization, technology transfers, agriculture, the development of the mining sector, education, healthcare and epidemiological safety.

The ministry said Lavrov held six bilateral meetings with his counterparts from the Central African Republic, Cameroon, Libya, Mali, Rwanda, Sudan, Uganda earlier in the day.

Speaking at a meeting with Libyan Foreign Minister Taher al-Baour, Lavrov said the situation in the Middle East is changing fast. "We want to contribute as much as possible to its pacification in the Palestinian territories, in Lebanon, and in Libya," he added.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, for his part, held talks with his counterparts from Ghana, Sierra Leone and Somalia.