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Kudakwashe Mugari, Harare Bureau

Zimbabwe is set to line up some new agreements with Russia as the country participates in the inaugural Russia-Africa Economic Summit to be held in Sochi, Russia.

The summit, which will be co-chaired by Russian President Vladimir Putin and African Union chairperson President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt, kicks off tomorrow.

President Mnangagwa, who left Harare last night, will join about 46 other African Heads of State and Government at the summit which is expected to unlock economic benefits for Zimbabwe in particular and Africa in general.

Zimbabwe will build on friendly relations with the Eastern giant with which it has had fruitful cooperation, whose fruits include a major platinum deal.

To kickstart the summit will be the Russia-Africa Economic Forum tomorrow which will be attended by African Heads of State, and representatives of Russian, African, international business, government agencies and African integration associations.

The discussions are framed on three thematic pillars, “Forging Economic Ties”, “Creating Joint Projects”, and “Collaborating in the Humanitarian and Social Sector”.

Due to friendly relations between the Russian Federation and African governments on both bilateral and multilateral levels, the summit will help forge closer collaboration on regional and international issues of common interest, raise strategic dialogue between Russia and African countries to a qualitatively higher level, and contribute to peace, security and sustainable development on the African continent.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade acting spokesperson Mr Joel Muzuwa yesterday said Zimbabwe will benefit on the trade and economic front from the summit.

“The forum will be a strategically important step towards creating favourable conditions for the development of trade and economic relations between Russia and Africa as well diversify the forms and areas of Russian-African cooperation,” said Mr Muzuwa.

“The summit is anchored on the need to share and support the goals of the African Union member states as enshrined in the Agenda 2063 adopted in January 2015 at the 24th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the Union.

“It is also anchored on goals as contained in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted by the UN General Assembly under resolution 70/1 of 25 September 2015.”

Deliberations during the summit will be on key issues such as the establishment of a Russia-Africa Partnership Forum with a view to coordinating the development of the Russian-African relations, designate the Russia-Africa Summit as its supreme body to be convened once every three years, holding of annual political consultations between Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation and African countries acting as the current, former and future chairs of the African Union in the period between Summits.