Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is seeking enhanced political and economic cooperation on his tour of Africa that has taken him to Ethiopia, where the African Union headquarters is located, and then to Niger. He arrived in Ethiopia on July 7 on a working visit where he met with Prime Minister of Ethiopia Abiy Ahmed Ali and held talks with Foreign Minister Gedion Timothewos. Talks focused on expanding Russia-Ethiopia cooperation, including expanding direct contacts between the business communities of the two countries with a view to launching joint projects in energy, transport infrastructure, digital technologies and telecommunications, information security and agricultural production.
They also discussed the Russia-Africa Summit, which is scheduled to take place in Russia in October 2026. Considerable attention was also devoted to an exchange of views on ways to resolve conflicts and promote stability in the Horn of Africa.
Lavrov also met with the African Union Commission, based in Addis Ababa. Russia and the African Union have agreed to hold annual political consultations. Russia and the African Union intend to launch a mechanism for sectoral dialogues on key areas of cooperation, including security, finance, industry, trade, education, energy, healthcare and the humanitarian sphere.
The Chairman of the African Union Commission has been invited to Moscow to participate in the third Russia-Africa summit, which will be held at the end of October.
Lavrov was in Niger on July 8 for the second Russia-Sahel Alliance ministerial where he met with Nigerien Minister of Foreign Affairs Bakary Yaou Sangaré, his Malian counterpart Abdoulaye Diop, and Burkina’s head of diplomacy Karamoko Jean-Marie Traoré. The agenda included strengthening of political and diplomatic relations between the three AESA countries and the Russian Federation. Military and security cooperation as well as the Russia-Africa Summit in Moscow in October were also discussed.
