2022 May 25 About the Africa Day Celebration at the RAS Institute for African Studies

Africa Day

On 25 May 2022, a celebratory meeting to mark Africa Day was held in the conference hall of the Institute for African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS).

The event was attended by heads and representatives of 32 African diplomatic missions in Russia. The opening address was delivered by the Honorary President of the RAS Institute for African Studies, RAS Full Member, Prof. Alexei Vasiliev. During the session, speeches were delivered by the Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation for the Middle East and Africa, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation H.E. Mikhail Bogdanov, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Cameroon to the Russian Federation, Dean of the African Diplomatic Corps H.E. Mahamat Paba Sale, the Deputy Director of the RAS Institute for African Studies, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Prof. Leonid Fituni, Senator of the Russian Federation, the Chairman of the Coordination Committee on Economic Cooperation with African countries (AFROCOM) Igor Morozov, Ambassador-at-large, the Head of the Secretariat of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum H.E. Oleg Ozerov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation, the Chairman of the Association of Economic Cooperation with African States (AECAS) H.E. Alexander Saltanov. The participants were also congratulated by the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to the Russian Federation, H.E. Prof. Abdullahi Shehu.

During the event, the Special Representative of the President of Russia for the Middle East and Africa, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation H.E. Mikhail Bogdanov, was awarded the Honorary Doctor's Diploma of the RAS Institute for African Studies. To mark the occasion, on behalf of the Embassy of the Republic of Uganda to the Russian Federation, H.E. Mikhail Bogdanov was presented with a traditional African painting.

The celebration was also attended by representatives of partner academic organisations, in particular, RUDN University, Lomonosov Moscow State University, MGIMO University, RAS Institute of World History, RAS Institute for US and Canadian Studies, Kazakh Ablai Khan University of International Relations and World Languages; representatives of commercial and public organisations: Russia-Nigeria Business Council, PJSC ALROSA, Centre for Public Diplomacy, Union of African Diasporas in Russia, Ethiopian Community Association in Russia, Cameroonian Diaspora in Russia, etc.

The meeting repeatedly noted the mutual interest of Russia and African countries in developing relations, the role of the USSR in liberating Africa from colonialism and the need for cooperation to address some of the most challenging global issues at the present time. The event concluded with a performance by the African Diaspora Union Band.

Prepared by: Gleb Sugakov, Researcher of the Centre for Global and Strategic Studies, RAS Institute for African Studies.