L. Fituni, I. Abramova Resource Potential of Africa and Russia's ...

is, of course not much compared to the figures of the Soviet African
trade or those of Chinese trade turnover with the continent. However,
there is huge growth of a quarter to one third annually. 7 And there’s
more to come. The potential of cooperation is far beyond these numbers.
Unfortunately, the recent financial and economic crisis had a
negative effect on the growth indicators of mutual trade. However, it
only emphasized the necessity to continue combined efforts in order
to enhance cooperation between Russia and Africa.
Russia is set firm to have new principles when it comes to dealing
with Africa. Moscow wants to participate in providing assistance
and aid not only on a bilateral basis, but also within the frame of the
existing international platforms, including the UN, G-8 and G-20.
At the same time, more and more politicians, diplomats, business
people and academics have come to the conclusion that the bilateral
relations with Africa (not in a strict country-to-country sense,
but in more general terms: meaning Russia as one side and combined
interests of the peoples and nations of Africa, as the other)
need a new start. A possible symbiosis of joint efforts is visualized
in a new development concept, which received a conventional name
of Project RussAfrica.
The essence of the concept is to build a system of relations that
would be mutually favorable for achieving developmental goals and
solving semantically similar problems on the way of their achievement.
The objective conditions that make those aspirations feasible
lie in two spheres. Both Russia and Africa found themselves outside
the existing acute competition and opaque rivalry of the new centers
of power in the emerging model of world economy and politics.
Unlike North America, the EU or China, Russia has no proprietary
“intentions” vis-à-vis African natural resources or the continent’s
military and strategic values.
The history of mutual relationship is not clouded by the burden
of colonial rule, enslavement and genocide of millions of Africans.
On the contrary, the achievement of independence by African peoples
was to a significant extent the result of persistent struggle of the
Soviet Union against the pro-imperialist forces and the coalition of
Western metropolitan/colonial governments.
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