Russia is ready to support food security in African countries, says Lavrov

Russia and the African Union intend to strengthen cooperation in the agricultural sector and expand the supply of food, fertilizers and other inputs for rural production. The understandings were reached during high-level consultations between Russian Foreign Minister Serguei Lavrov and the president of the African Union Commission, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, held on Tuesday (7), at the commission’s headquarters in Addis Ababa. The information was released by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

One of the main themes of the negotiations was food security. The parties highlighted the need to ensure stable supplies of food, fertilizers and resources for the development of agriculture in African countries. Moscow and the African Union also confirmed their intention to expand cooperation to increase agricultural production and strengthen the resilience of food systems on the continent.

During the meeting, the current state and prospects of the Russian-African partnership were discussed. Special attention was paid to the preparation of a new joint action plan for 2027-2029 and the organization of the third Russia-Africa Summit, which will be held on October 28-29, 2026, in Moscow.

In the economic area, participants highlighted the importance of developing trade, investments, industrial cooperation and the implementation of joint projects within the scope of the continental strategy “Agenda 2063”. The interest in expanding cooperation in energy, infrastructure, transport and technological development was also reaffirmed.

The parties also discussed issues related to health. Russia and the African Union agreed to study possibilities to expand cooperation in epidemiological control, development of laboratory infrastructure and training of specialists.

Another point addressed was the reform of the global governance system. Russia expressed support for the position of African countries on the need to ensure fair representation of the continent in UN structures. The importance of creating a more balanced, transparent and development-oriented international financial architecture, capable of better reflecting the priorities and realities of developing countries, especially African States, was also highlighted.

At the end of the consultations, Lavrov and Youssouf agreed to strengthen institutional dialogue, hold regular high-level political consultations and expand cooperation in priority areas. The next round of consultations is scheduled for 2027.