Russia's 'Return to Africa' Sparks Policy Controversy
By Kestér Kenn Klomegâh:
During the Africa Day celebrations annually on May 25th, Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov Moscow's decision to return to Africa is a strategic due to the geopolitical changes and its return has become a popular post-Soviet slogan in Russia's establishment. The second Russia-Africa summit in St. Petersburg, due in July, is a strategic decision by Moscow in connection with its long-term goal of regaining presence on the continent, Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov told the local Russian media TASS.
"This is not a one-time event. It is a strategic decision. It is
our long-term policy and practice under the slogan of Russia's return to
Africa. Of course, after the collapse of the Soviet Union some things
were lost. There was stagnation in our relations. A number of embassies
were closed. Now we are actively working to reopen and restore the work
of our embassies," said Bogdanov.
Extensively
speaking on several questions with the media on the eve of Africa Day,
the Russian diplomat noted that some African countries were more
dependent on Western aid than others, but Russia was not imposing
anything on anyone, because it proceeded from the sovereign equality of
the UN member states. Moscow's role is to help African countries in the
UN Security Council and other UN structures, as well as on a bilateral
basis, Bogdanov explained.
"In principle we have
equal, good relations with all countries. With some, of course, they are
more advanced," he added, and wished African friends, especially on
Africa Day, stronger sovereignty and further development, so that this
sovereignty is supported by economic opportunities. This will let them
strengthen political sovereignty in accordance with their genuine
national interests and not to listen to some outside noise," Bogdanov
said.
What is referred to as Africa Day is
celebrated on May 25, the day on which the Organization of African Unity
(now the African Union) was established in 1963. Until 2002, when the
organization was transformed, it had been Africa Liberation Day. The
African Union's headquarters is located in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
According
the official sources, Mikhail Bogdanov is Russian President's Special
Presidential Representative for the Middle East and Africa, Deputy
Foreign Affairs Minister of the Russian Federation. He has served as
Deputy Foreign Minister since June 2011, Special Presidential envoy for
the Middle East since January 2012 and Special Presidential envoy for
the Middle East and Africa since October 2014.
In
practical terms, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov's critical
assessment of Russia's return to Africa, the goals of signing several
bilateral agreements which remain unimplemented, decades-old pledges and
promises undelivered, anti-Western rhetoric and hyperbolic criticisms
foreign players which form the main component of Russia's policy - these
indicating the slogan of Russia's return to Africa. Beyond its
traditional rhetoric of Soviet-era assistance rendered to sub-Saharan
African countries, Russia has extremely little to show as post-Soviet
achievements in contemporary Africa.
At least,
Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Foreign Minister Qin Gang have
indicated on their side that Africa is not the field for confrontation
but rather the field for cooperation, to uplift its development to an
appreciable level. China has heavily invested in developing
infrastructure, in different economic sectors. Its slogan 'win-win'
cooperation and 'share common future' have shown visible results across
Africa.
During these past years, there have been
several meetings of various bilateral intergovernmental commissions and
conferences both in Moscow and in Africa. Official visits to and from
proliferate, only end up with the display of eternal passion for signing
documents called Memoranda of Understandings and bilateral agreements
with African countries. From the highly-praised historic first summit
held 2019, there are 92 agreements.
Currently, the
signs for Russia-African relations are impressive – declarations of
intentions have been made, a lot of important bilateral agreements
signed; now it remains to be seen how these intentions and agreements
entered into over these years will be implemented in practice, argued
Professors Vladimir Shubin and Alexandra Arkhangelskaya from the
Institute for African Studies.
"The most
significant positive sign is that Russia has moved away from its low-key
strategy to vigorous relations, and authorities are seriously showing
readiness to compete with other foreign players. But, Russia needs to
find a strategy that really reflects the practical interests of Russian
business and African development needs," said Arkhangelskaya, who is
also a Lecturer at the Moscow High School of Economics.
Several
authentic researched reports have criticised Russia's policy in Africa.
As expected, those weaknesses were compiled and incorporated in the
‘Situation Analytical Report’ by 25 policy researchers headed by
Professor Sergey Karaganov, Faculty Dean at Moscow’s High School of
Economics. This 150-page report was presented in November 2021, offering
new directions and recommendations for improving policy methods and
approaches with Africa.
With its about 1.3 billion
people, Africa is a potential market for all kinds of consumable goods
and for services. In the coming decades, there will be an accelerated
competition between or among the external players over access to the
resources and for economic influence in Africa. Despite the growth of
external players' influence and presence in Africa, says the report,
Russia has to intensify and redefine its parameters as it has now
transcended to the fifth stage. Russia's Africa policy is roughly
divided into four periods, previously after Soviet’s collapse in 1991.
Now
in the fifth stage, still marking time to leverage to the next when it
would begin to show visible results. While the number of high-level
meetings has increased, the share of substantive issues on the agenda
remains small. There are little definitive results from such various
meetings and conferences. Apart from the absence of a public strategy
for the continent, there is shortage of qualified personnel, the lack of
coordination among various state and para-state institutions working
with Africa. The report lists insufficient and disorganized
Russian-African lobbying, combined with the lack of "information
hygiene” at all levels of public speaking among the main flaws of
Russia's current Africa policy.
Another policy
report, titled ‘Ways to Increase the Efficiency of Russia's African
Strategy under the Crisis of the Existing World Order’ (ISSN 1019-3316,
Herald of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 2022), co-authored by
Professors Irina O. Abramova and Leonid L. Fituni castigated or
reprimanded authorities who are squeezed between illusions and realities
with policy ambitions in Africa. Against the backdrop of geopolitical
changes and great power competition, Russian authorities really need to
have an insight/understanding into the practical investment and economic
possibilities on the continent.
The authors said
that: "It is time for Russia, which over the past 30 years has
unsuccessfully sought to become part of the West, to abandon illusions
and reconsider its foreign economic and policy strategy, reorienting
itself to states that are turning from outsiders into significant
players in the international political and economic space and are
willing to interact with our country on a mutually beneficial and equal
basis."
In addition, the report underlined the
fact that Russia's elite demonstrates a somewhat arrogant attitude
toward Africa. High-ranking officials have often used the phrase ‘We
(that is, Russia) are not Africa’ to oppose attempts at changing the
status quo, to change the approach toward Africa. Despite the
thoughtless imposition of the idea that Africa is the most backward and
problematic region of the world in Russian public opinion, qualified
Africanists – including Western experts, call Africa the continent of
the 21st century: attributing this to the stable growth rates of the
African economy over the past 20 years, and the colossal resource and
human potential of the African region.
The report
acknowledges the fact that African countries consider Russia as a
reliable economic partner, and it is necessary to interact with African
public and private businesses on a mutually beneficial basis. In this
regard, Russian initiatives should be supported by real steps and not be
limited to verbal declarations about the "return of Russia to Africa,”
especially after the Sochi gathering, which was described as very
symbolic.
The authors, however, warned that
failure on Russia's side to show financial commitment, African leaders
and elites from the Anglophone, Francophone and Lusophone nations will
still be loyal and inseparably linked by nostalgic post-colonial master
relationships. And this relates to furtherance of economic investment
and development, education and training – all to be controlled by the
former colonial powers as African leaders choose development partners
with funds to invest in the economy.
South African
Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) has its latest policy report
on Russia-African relations. It shows the dimensions of Russian power
projection in Africa, new frontiers of Russian influence and provides a
roadmap towards understanding how Russia is perceived in Africa. It
highlights narratives about anti-colonialism and describes how these
sources of solidarity are transmitted by Russian elites to their African
public. For seeking long-term influence, Russian elites have oftentimes
used elements of anti-colonialism as part of the current policy to
control the perceptions of Africans and primarily as new tactics for
power projection in Africa.
The reports delved
into the historical fact that after the collapse of the Soviet era,
already more than three decades, Russia is resurgent in Africa. While
Russia has been struggling to make inroads into Africa these years, the
only symbolic event was the first Russia-Africa summit held in Sochi,
which fêted heads of state from 43 African countries and showcased
Moscow's great power ambitions.
The authors
further wrote that "Russia's growing assertiveness in Africa is a driver
of instability and that its approach to governance encourages
pernicious practices, such as kleptocracy and autocracy promotion, and
the dearth of scholarship on Moscow's post-1991 activities in Africa is
striking.” Records further show that Russia indeed kept a low profile
for two decades after the Soviet collapse. Russia's expanding influence
in Africa are compelling, but a closer examination further reveals a
murkier picture. Despite Putin's lofty trade targets, Russia's trade
with Africa stands at just $20 billion, which is lower than that of
India or Turkey.
In the context of a multipolar
geopolitical order, Russia's image of cooperation could be seen as
highly enticing, but it is also based on illusions. Better still,
Russia's posture is a clash between illusions and reality. "Russia, it
appears, is a neo-colonial power dressed in anti-colonial clothes," says
the report. Simply put, Moscow's strategic incapability, inconsistency
and dominating opaque relations are adversely affecting sustainable
developments in Africa. Thus far, Russia looks more like a ‘virtual
great power’ than a genuine challenger to European, American and Chinese
influence.
Of course, Russian-African relations
have been based based on long-standing traditions of friendship and
solidarity, created when the Soviet Union supported the struggle of
African peoples against colonialism. Since Africans are struggling to
transform their economy and take care of 1.3 billion population, the
bulk still impoverished. African leaders have to remember their election
campaign pledges made to the electorate while still holding political
power.
Unlike Western countries, European Union
members and Asian countries which focus particularly on what they want
to achieve with Africa, Russia places the anti-colonial fight at the
core of its policy. In short, Russia knows what it wants from the
continent: access to markets, political support against Ukraine and
general influence in the continent. Now it is time for African leaders
to clarify what it wants concretely from Russia during the July 2023
Russia-Africa summit.
By Kestér Kenn Klomegâh
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Russia's 'Return to Africa' Sparks Policy Controversy
By Kestér Kenn Klomegâh: During the Africa Day celebrations annually on May 25th, Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov Moscow's decision to return to Africa is a strategic due to the geopolitical changes and i