Russia, African Union To Sign Memorandum Of Cooperation - Deputy Foreign Minister

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 20th November, 2018) Russia and the African Union are preparing to sign a memorandum of cooperation, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said on Monday.

"A memorandum on cooperation with the African Union is being prepared now, such work is being carried out very intensively," Bogdanov said at a meeting of the speaker of the lower house of the Russian parliament with ambassadors of African countries in Moscow.

He noted that Russia's cooperation with African states had significantly increased in recent years and developed in many directions.

Inter-parliamentary relations made a weighty contribution to the development of Russian-African relations and the upcoming Inter-Parliamentary Conference "Russia-Africa," which was scheduled for 2019, would give an additional impetus to the whole complex of interaction between Russia and African states, Bogdanov added.

"Russia considers Africa as an important and active participant in the emerging polycentric architecture of the world and an ally in protecting international law against attempts to undermine it," the diplomat pointed out.

In 2014, Russia and the African Union signed a memorandum of understanding which established a framework for political consultations.

The African Union (AU) was established in 2002 and comprises 55 countries of the African continent. The mission of the organization is to strengthen the unity and solidarity of African states, protect their sovereignty, territorial integrity, independence and encourage international cooperation.