The Deputy Speaker of the Federation Council took part in the Russia-Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum in St Petersburg.
Deputy Speaker of the Federation Council Konstantin Kosachev contributed to three thematic sessions as a speaker during the Russia-Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum, taking the floor during the sessions titled “International Security in Times of Geopolitical Instability: Cross-Party Cooperation,” “Safe Africa,” and “New World Order: From the Legacy of Colonialism to Sovereignty and Development.”
“I believe that the time to start shaping a new International of political parties has come. I would tentatively call it an International for a Multipolar World or an International for Multipolarity, uniting parties regardless of where they stand within their domestic political spectrum,” the Senator said during his first panel discussion on international security in times of geopolitical instability.
“We see how Western countries are currently trying to engineer interstate relations – by doing away with equality and treating their own sovereignty as being of paramount importance, while denying sovereignty to countries which do not belong to the so-called collective West. Moreover, they do not shy away when it comes to exerting pressure or using blackmail against other countries in order to subject them to their will,” Konstantin Kosachev pointed out.
He went on to say that many countries, including in Africa, have had to overcome all kinds of barriers in order to achieve sovereignty and promote development, and it was the adepts of a unipolar world order, i.e., NATO countries and the EU, who have been proactive in creating these barriers.
“What I mean by barriers are the international payment systems the West imposes on others, as well as the effort to introduce incursive concepts that run counter to the international law, such as the rule-based order, or humanitarian interventions, or the right to foreign assistance,” the Federation Council’s Deputy Speaker said.
Speaking about neo-colonialism and its present-day incarnations, the Senator suggested giving this term a specific meaning in international legal instruments. “Countries who suffered from the Western expansion must be entitled to reparations for the damage resulting from colonial and neo-colonial policies,” Konstantin Kosachev argued.
He believes that the Western countries are about to create a new legal framework paving the way to a new world order and rules governing it while intentionally seeking to make sure that Russia, as well as African, Asian and Latin American countries are not part of this process.
Asked for a comment on compliance with the 1972 Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention in Africa, the Senator mentioned data showing that the United States operated a wide network of biological laboratories in several African countries. According to Konstantin Kosachev, a parliamentary investigation into similar US facilities in Ukraine revealed that quite often national leaders in the countries where these laboratories operate are not informed about the work US specialists carry out there.
“Russia views Africa as an equal partner. Many Russian companies are already successfully carrying out joint projects in several African countries,” the Deputy Speaker pointed out.
Apart from taking part in thematic sessions, Konstantin Kosachev held several bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the summit.
In particular, he had a conversation with President of the Senate of the Republic of Madagascar Herimanana Razafimahefa, and with Kwame Muzawazi, Director of the Institute for African Studies of the Republic of Zimbabwe.
The meeting with Kwame Muzawazi focused on the project to enable Russia to contribute to creating the African Liberation Museum in Harare in the follow-up to the visit by the Speaker of the Federation Council to the Republic of Zimbabwe in 2022. According to Zimbabwe’s representatives, there is a plan to build on the African continent the first monument celebrating victory in the Great Patriotic War.
Deputy Chair of the Federation Council’s Committee on Foreign Affairs Andrey Klimov also took part in the forum.
The second Russia-Africa Summit and Russia-Africa Economic Forum took place on 27 and 28 July 2023 in St Petersburg.
The Russia-Africa Summit is a key event in terms of Russia’s relations with Africa and the most prominent initiative of this kind. It seeks to strengthen Russia’s inclusive and equal cooperation with African countries across the board, including in politics, security, the economy, science and technology, as well as cultural and humanitarian affairs.