Lavrov accuses US of trying to ‘torpedo’ Russia-Africa summit

Lavrov accuses US of trying to ‘torpedo’ Russia-Africa summit

Washington “and its vassals” try to steer our African associates not to participate within the July summit, says Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

Lavrov says chances of damaging the Russia-Africa summit are diminishing.
Lavrov says probabilities of damaging the Russia-Africa summit are diminishing.
(Reuters Archive)

The US is making an attempt to wreck Russia’s
deliberate summit with African international locations as a part of efforts to
isolate Moscow, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has stated.

Lavrov, in an interview with Argumenty i Fakty revealed on Tuesday, stated that Moscow was completely different from Western international locations in its relations with Africa in that “we never tell our foreign partners how they are supposed to live. We have no secret agenda.”

Moscow is getting ready for its second summit with African
international locations, scheduled for the tip of July in St Petersburg,
together with work on infrastructure, expertise and power
initiatives.

“It is true that the United States and its vassals are doing
all the pieces attainable to attain Russia’s worldwide
isolation,” Lavrov told the website. “In specific, they’re
making an attempt to torpedo the deliberate second Russia-Africa summit … to
persuade our African associates not to participate.”

In any case, Lavrov stated, the probabilities of damaging the
convention have been diminishing as “fewer and fewer individuals are actually
prepared to drag out all of the stops for former colonial powers.

“Attempts to intrude in our cooperation with international locations for
the worldwide South and East will subsequently proceed, however success
is way from assured.”

READ MORE:
US accuses Russia of exploiting Africa ‘to fund’ Ukraine battle

‘Our Africa coverage is about Africa’

The US State Department, in an announcement, didn’t deal with
Lavrov’s accusations instantly, however stated Washington was pursuing
robust relationships with African international locations “to deal with the
shared challenges we face. Our Africa coverage is about Africa.”

The assertion quoted US Secretary of State Antony
Blinken as saying the United States “[doesn’t] need to restrict
African partnerships with different international locations. We need to give
African international locations selections.”

Lavrov has been significantly wanting to nurture ties with
Africa, visiting the continent twice this 12 months in addition to making
a tour in mid-2022.

South Africa this 12 months held 10 days of army workout routines
with the Russian and Chinese militaries.

And the Wagner Group of Russian mercenaries, energetic in what
Moscow described as its “special military operation” in Ukraine,
has been deployed towards insurgents in Mali and the Central
African Republic.

US President Joe Biden hosted a US-Africa leaders summit in 2022 in Washington, searching for to bolster alliances amid the rising Russian and Chinese presence on the continent.

READ MORE: US envoy: Africa journey isn’t to meet up with China and Russia

Source: Reuters

Source: www.trtworld.com