By Enyichukwu Enemanna
President of Russia, Vladamir Putin has pledged the willingness of his country to foster deeper relations with the African continent, assuring a free supply of grains to countries on the continent hit by food insecurity, a promise coming few days after Moscow withdrew from Black Sea grain deal with Ukraine, a termination that has drawn widespread condemnation from west and allies.
The Russian leader further said his country at the moment houses at least 35,000 African students, with more than 6,000 on Russian government’s scholarships.
In a statement on Monday, Russia Putin said Moscow will replace Ukraine as alternative grain supplier to African countries at no-cost.
“Russia and Africa: Joining Efforts for Peace, Progress and a Successful Future” Putin said ahead of the second Russia-Africa Summit and Russia-Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum.
The summits, scheduled to hold on July 27 and July 28 in St Petersburg, Russia, seeks to strengthen the relations between Russia and Africa, outlining priority cooperation areas for the coming decades of the 21st century.
Putin stated that Russia have always strictly adhered to the “African solutions to African problems” principle, standing in solidarity with Africans in their struggle for self-determination, justice and their legitimate rights.
He also said that in keeping with the existing tradition, Russia intends to continue providing assistance to African states in building their national human resource capacity.
It was at this point he revealed that there were currently about 35,000 students from Africa in Russia, and more than 6,000 of them receive Russian government scholarships.
The Russia’s President noted that each year the country increases the number of scholarships, promote paid higher education options and facilitate inter-university ties, which have gained significant momentum in recent times.
