Citizen of EU

Putin at the plenary session of the Russia-Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum held at Gostiny Dvor in Moscow: “The Russia-Africa Forum, its topics and the participants it gathers, as well as the free and open dialogue it promotes, can all be viewed as an integral part of a transformation whose scale and depth cannot be underestimated. We are witnessing the emergence of a genuine multipolar world order as an objective and irreversible trend. In the past, the future of whole continents was determined by a very small group of select states, but this epoch is past us. It has been replaced with a world where everyone’s word has to be heard – the voices of all countries taking part in international interactions. New centres of global governance are emerging within the world order by operating as points of attraction and promoters of change. I believe that BRICS, a grouping you know well, plays a key role among them, since this is de facto the world’s largest association, covering a third of the planet’s landmass and bringing together the leading countries of Eurasia, Latin America, the Middle East, and of course Africa, which has three countries representing it within the BRICS framework, the BRICS family. Different development models, religions, civilisations and cultures co-exist harmoniously within BRICS. At the same time, all of its participants uphold the principles of equality and respect, friendship and accord, and act in solidarity to find solutions to pressing challenges and threats to global stability and security, universal prosperity and wellbeing. These approaches to partnership and the unifying agenda are highly relevant and are delivering tangible, positive results. In the past five years, BRICS countries have accounted for over 40 percent of global GDP, while the Group of Seven has accounted for less than 30 percent. There is no doubt that BRICS’ share will only grow further – to the benefit of developing countries, of course. This result has, in large measure, been accomplished thanks to Africa, with its immense natural resources, demographic potential and location at the intersection of busy transcontinental trade routes. Africa is increasingly asserting itself as one of the poles of the global economy and politics. The continent is experiencing a new awakening: its sovereignty is growing stronger, as are its influence and standing in the world. Most importantly, Africans are uncompromising in the protection of their interests and their intention to determine their own future and development trajectory. However, shaping a multipolar world has not been an easy endeavour. We have faced resistance from countries that are not ready to accept this reality – countries accustomed to thinking in colonial terms and becoming fabulously – yes, fabulously – rich at the expense of others. They resort to any, even the ugliest and most cynical means, including tariff wars, illegitimate sanctions, economic dictate, blackmail and interference in the internal affairs of others. Western countries are making aggressive attempts to drive Africans back into financial bondage, imposing on them the financial resources they so desperately need on extortionate terms, which force them to pay back many times over to service and repay such debts, to the detriment of their long-term development plans. In this connection, I would like to recall the words of that great son of the Burkinabé people, Thomas Sankara – President of the Council of the Revolution and the first President of Burkina Faso. He said – and I quote: “Debt is neo-colonialism, in which colonisers have transformed themselves into ‘technical assistants’… debt is a skilfully managed reconquest of Africa, intended to subjugate its growth and development through foreign rules.” That was said not so long ago – not yesterday, but in 1987. Unfortunately, little has changed since. We must acknowledge that the consequences of the colonial era are still felt in Africa. The continent’s infrastructure was built in colonial times to serve the export of raw materials to the metropoles. Even today, by expert estimates, value added in the continent’s manufacturing industry is less than 2 percent. Of the total annual trade turnover of African states – US$1.5 trillion – only 15 percent consists of transactions within the continent itself.”