The State Duma eightfold increased the number of friendship groups with African countries

At a meeting on September 20, the State Duma Council decided to create 15 new State Duma deputy groups for relations with the parliaments of African countries, a source in the Duma apparatus told Vedomosti.

Before this, two “African” groups worked in the Duma – for relations with the parliaments of Central and Southern Africa, the Republic of South Africa, as well as for relations with the countries of the Middle East and North Africa.

Russian and African parliamentarians came up with the initiative to create separate groups with African countries, a source in the lower house explained. Some groups include two or three countries.

In particular, as Vedomosti’s interlocutor said, the friendship group with parliamentarians of Egypt will be headed by the head of the Duma Committee on Education Olga Kazakova (United Russia), Cameroon – Deputy Speaker of the Duma Sholban Kara-ool (United Russia), Gabon – the head of the committee on economic policy Maxim Topilin (ER), Djibouti – head of the social policy committee Yaroslav Nilov (LDPR).

In July, at the Russia-Africa forum, Russian President Vladimir Putin named areas of cooperation with African countries. According to him, it is planned to reorient logistics routes “in favor of the global south”, launch a Russian industrial zone in the Suez Canal area in Egypt, develop energy projects and work on direct flights. Another task is to open branches of leading Russian universities and Russian language schools on the continent.