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

upon the same ideology: the new roads, pipelines, communications
facilities are being built not so much as to improve the internal territorial
integrity of African counties and bring the peripheries closer
to the centers, but in order to allow the African natural wealth to
reach the sea ports or external borders.
The European Commission, the European Investment Bank
(EIB), and other European development financing institutions, in cooperation
with African national and regional authorities, continue to
assess how to promote the most appropriate infrastructure, and related
governance issues, that can contribute to the sustainable use of
the resources of these countries and facilitate raw materials supply,
using respective sector dialogues to steer this process. From its part,
the European Commission promised “to assess (a) the feasibility of
increasing lending (which may include grant-loan elements) to industry,
including mining and refining projects and in particular postextractive
industries and (b) investigate the possibility of promoting
financial instruments that reduce risk for operators on the basis of
guarantees supported by EU, including by the European Development
Fund. The existing EU-Africa Infrastructure Trust Fund could
also assist African countries in this task.” 25
1.2. South Atlantic Resource Base in NATO’s Modernized
Strategy
After the Soviet Union disappeared from the global arena, the
United States and its NATO allies gradually renewed the old strategy
of strengthening their presence and activity in Africa. Unlike the
old days of the bi-polar world, the renewed recognition of Africa’s
growing strategic importance to U.S. interests was manifested
openly. Since the main ideological and geostrategic rival had gone,
there was no need for the US to camouflage the real reasons for the
renewed interest by alleged concern about democracy and freedom
in Africa. A more 19th century list of arguments was presented, such
as the increasing importance of Africa’s natural resources, particularly
energy resources, and mounting concern over violent extremist
activities and other potential threats posed by uncontrolled spaces,
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