WINDHOEK - President Hage Geingob left yesterday for Europe to attend the first Russia-Africa Summit taking place in Sochi.
According to the presidency, Geingob will also participate in the 18th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Non-Aligned Movement in Baku, Azerbaijan.
The Azerbaijan summit will be co-chaired by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and will also include the participation of other Sadc leaders such as Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa, João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço of Angola and Emmerson Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe.
Presidency spokesperson Alfredo Hengari said the Azerbaijan summit would be preceded by the Russia-Africa Economic Forum, which starts today. He added the summit is expected to adopt a declaration building on the friendly ties that exist between the Russian Federation and African countries.
The summit reaffirms the collective commitment to the fundamental principles of the Charter of the United Nations and the norms of international law and the need for strict compliance to those principles by all states, Hengari said.
“The parties also seek to express strong determination to the strengthening of peace and security and to the building of a just and equitable system of international relations,” he said. He added that the summit offers an opportunity for the Russian Federation and African countries to share and support the goals and objectives of the African Union member states enshrined in Agenda 2063, as well as the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted in 2015.
“The summit also seeks to progressively develop comprehensive cooperation between the Russian Federation, African countries and leading organisations in Africa,” Hengari said.
At the end of the Summit, the parties are expected to sign a Declaration of the First Russia-Africa Summit, establishing a Russia-Africa Partnership Forum. Hengari informed that the forum aims to strengthen cooperation and collaboration in the political, security, economic, legal, technical, humanitarian and information communication technology fields between Russia and Africa.
Diplomatic relations between Namibia and Russia were established in 1990, and continues to improve as the two continue to deepen areas of cooperation.
Bilateral cooperation between the two countries is structured through the Namibian-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation, which was established in July 2006.
Through the Inter-Governmental Commission, the two countries have concluded bilateral instruments.