By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Weeks to the second edition of the Russia-Africa Summit, Russian President Vladimir Putin has extended invitation to the Chairman of Libya’s Presidential Council, Mohamed Al-Menfi, urging him to attend the summit, the council’s spokeswoman Najwa Wheba told newsmen on Monday.
This comes days after the Libyan Prime Minister Abd Alhamid Aldabaiba received the new Russian ambassador to Libya, Aydar Aganin, at his Cabinet office in the capital, Tripoli.
Russia had last year announced the reopening of its embassy in Libya nine years after it was closed down as a result of the deteriorating security situation in the North African country.
Speaking to Russian news agency Sputnik, Wheba also welcomed return of Russian embassy to work in Libya.
The Russia-Africa Summit is scheduled for 26–29 July 2023, in Saint Petersburg.
It’s an event which seeks to “promote efforts to strengthen comprehensive and equal cooperation between Russia and African nations across all areas of society including politics, security, economic relations, science and technology, and the cultural and humanitarian spheres,” a declaration made on the summit’s website stated.
The first Russia-Africa Summit was held on 23–24 October 2019, in Sochi, Russia, co-hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.
43 heads of state or government were in attendance.
Russia has courted Africa to get the support of the continent following its invasion of Ukraine last year, in what Kremlin has repeatedly called “special military operations”.
South Africa has recently caught tongues wagging with its closeness to Moscow despite claiming to be neutral on the war in Kyiv.
Last year, Russia and South Africa held a join naval operations in Johannesburg, with opposition political parties accusing President Cyril Ramaphosa of endorsing the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.
