Why Sergey Lavrov visits Africa for the third time since the beginning of the year

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov began his third African tour since the beginning of the year on May 29 from Kenya. In Nairobi, he met with Speaker of the Kenyan National Assembly (lower house of parliament) Moses Wetangula, President William Ruto and Foreign Minister Alfred Mutua. Following Kenya, Lavrov will visit Burundi, Mozambique and South Africa. Lavrov’s first two trips to African countries in 2023 took place in January (including South Africa, Angola, Eswatini and Eritrea) and in February (Mali, Mauritania and Sudan).

Speaking at a press conference following his visit to Nairobi, which was broadcast on the Foreign Ministry website, Lavrov thanked his colleagues from Kenya for understanding the situation in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. The Minister recalled that 30,000 tons of Russian fertilizers will arrive in the Kenyan port of Mombasa one of these days free of charge through the World Food Programme. Earlier, President Vladimir Putin proposed to supply fertilizers blocked in Europe due to sanctions for free to Africa. By the end of the year, Moscow and Nairobi will set up an intergovernmental trade and economic commission to promote cooperation in exploration, mining, energy, telecommunications, agriculture, tourism and education.

Russia’s ties with Kenya are long and stable, although high-level contacts are rare: the country has cemented the image of a “land of safari” for wealthy Russian tourists, said Natalya Piskunova, associate professor at the Faculty of World Politics at Moscow State University. For Russian commodity companies, the country is less attractive than South Africa or Nigeria, she continues. Kenya is important as a global logistics hub, with ports that refuel, repair and service ships from China and India to Europe. For Russian companies, this can be convenient in the face of sanctions and bans on entering EU ports, Piskunova believes.

Lavrov’s trip takes place shortly before the Russia-Africa summit in St. Petersburg, scheduled for July 26-29, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said earlier. On June 1-2, Lavrov in South Africa will take part in a meeting of foreign ministers of the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) in Cape Town, South Africa. The summit of the BRICS leaders is also scheduled for August 15 in South Africa. Preparations for the Russia-Africa and BRICS summits are of equal importance during the minister’s visit, Piskunova believes. It is important that the events discuss issues of strengthening cooperation in the banking sector and in the field of shipping between Africa and Moscow, the expert believes.

The tour of the Russian minister began after the completion of his trip to Africa by his colleague from Kyiv, Dmitry Kuleba. He promoted to the leaders of the countries of the continent a “peace formula” of 10 points, including the withdrawal of troops (from the territory that was considered Ukrainian as of 2014) and other points unacceptable to Russia. Kuleba’s trip followed the announcement of the African peace initiative on Ukraine, put forward by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa (it was supported by Zambia, Senegal, Congo, Uganda and Egypt). The mission of African leaders to Moscow and Kyiv may take place in late June – early July. The South African leader held telephone conversations with Zelensky and Putin, the latter supported Ramaphosa’s proposal.

In an interview with the Financial Times on May 26, French businessman and founder of the non-profit Fondation Brazzaville, Jean-Yves Olivier, said that he was the one who initiated this peace proposal, since African states have the right to put forward proposals for peace amid conflict-induced difficulties with the supply of fertilizer and food. On May 23, Olivier met with the Russian President’s Special Representative for the Middle East and Africa, Mikhail Bogdanov.

The mediation mission of the six countries is extremely important for the Africans themselves, reminds Piskunov, as it has a special status. In fact, this is the first unified initiative in decades by a whole group of African states in an extra-regional crisis.