Russia-Africa Summit Opens New Page Of ‘Mutually Beneficial Cooperation,’ Says Putin

Riyaz Patel

The Kremlin says $12.5bn worth of deals were struck during the first ever Russia-Africa Summit.

“Let’s drink to the success of our joint efforts to develop full-scale mutually beneficial cooperation, wellbeing, peaceful future and prosperity of our countries and people,” Russian president Vladimir Putin said in a toast at the formal summit dinner in the Black Sea resort of Sochi.

In a symbolic gesture, Moscow flew two Tupolev Tu-160 nuclear bombers to South Africa as the summit opened, the first time the aircraft had landed on African soil.

An agreement between Russia’s Petrosal and Roggio will see an investment of US$400mn in the development of South Africa’s oil and gas industry.

Russia has defence orders worth $14bn from African countries, its state-run arms export agency said at the summit, and sales to the continent account for around a third of Moscow’s military exports.

Putin said Russia had agreed “military