(Thursday 24th October 2019 Issue)
State
House, Banjul, 23rd October 2019 - His Excellency, President Adama Barrow on
Wednesday morning participated in the first-ever Russia-Africa Summit currently
taking place in the resort city of Sochi, Russia. He joined more than sixty
African Heads of State and Government and other leaders in business,
development, and politics to engage in multilateral discussions with Russian
counterparts.
In
his welcoming remarks, the President of the Russian Federation, His Excellency,
Vladimir Putin said the economic forum is designed to build ‘‘concrete avenues
of cooperation and further development of the Russia-Africa Cooperation’’.
President
Putin stated that his country would seek to double trade with the African
continent in the next five years, stressing that the current Russia-Africa
trade level of $20 million is ‘‘not enough’’.
‘’I
believe, we have the powers to easily double the volume of trade within the
next four to five years, at the minimum’’, Putin said in a speech at the
plenary forum of the Summit.
‘’
We have many potential partners in Africa, lots of them. They have good
development prospects and enormous growth potential. Of course, this is not
enough.’’
The
Russia-Africa Summit is co-chaired by the President of the Arab Republic of
Egypt, who is the current Chairperson of the African Union.
On
the sideline of the Summit, the new Mauritanian President, Mohammed Ould
Ghazouani paid a courtesy call on President Barrow.
The
two leaders discussed means of strengthening the existing good relations
between their countries.
President
Ghazouani took the opportunity to thank President Barrow for attending his
inauguration earlier this year while indicating that he was impressed with
respect and dignity accorded to the Mauritanian community in The Gambia.
In
response, President Barrow cited the new leader’s inauguration as historic and
exemplary for Africa, in that, it was the first time to have a peaceful and
smooth democratic transfer of power from one civilian government to another in
Mauritania.
