Last week Vladimir Putin hold phone talks with the leaders of Egypt, Senegal and South Africa. It is worth mentioning that since the beginning of the special military operation of Russian armed forces in Ukraine, Vladimir Putin has been in contact mainly with the leaders of countries more or less involved in Ukrainian issues: Germany, France, Turkey, Israel.
On March 9, Vladimir Putin spoke with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. They discussed the development of strategic partnership and expressed interest in further cooperation in the tourism and agricultural sectors. In addition, they talked about joint projects in industry and nuclear energy (El-Dabaa NPP Construction Project).
Egypt is a long-standing partner of Russia. In 2021, the trade turnover with Egypt reached $4.8 billion with grain being the main export commodity, along with copper products, wood and wood products. In turn, Egypt exports fruits and vegetables, in particular potatoes, to Russia.
On the same day, at the request of the Senegalese President Macky Sall, Vladimir Putin reported on the most important aspects of the ongoing special military operation and, mainly, on the humanitarian side of the issue. In addition, the Presidents emphasised the importance of implementing the agreements reached at the Russia-Africa summit in 2019.
It should be noted that Senegal abstained during the vote on the UN resolution demanding that Russia immediately end its military operations in Ukraine. Senegalese President Macky Sall is the current Chairperson of the African Union (till February 2023).
A day later, on March 10, at the initiative of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Vladimir Putin discussed the operation in Ukraine. In addition, they stressed the importance of further cooperation in the humanitarian, trade and economic fields within BRICS and other international platforms.
Main image: Mikhail Metzel/POOL/TASS
Author: Maria Pashkova