"The West is not even squeamish about openly blackmailing Africans."

The collective West is counteracting Russia's foreign policy course in Africa. Anatoly Bashkin, Director of the Africa Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry, said this in an interview with Izvestia. Nevertheless, Russia and the continent's states have good legal foundations for developing cooperation, for example, in the field of civil aviation. Relevant agreements have been concluded with 42 countries, 35 of which are located south of the Sahara. In addition, Moscow plans to open embassies in Niger, Sierra Leone and South Sudan in the near future. On the prospects for the development of Russia's tourist ties with African states and humanitarian supplies to the countries of the continent - in an exclusive interview with Anatoly Bashkin "Izvestia".

"We are in favor of expanding the geography of routes of domestic carriers, including African countries"

- Are there any talks about opening new direct flights from Russia to African countries?

- We have laid good legal foundations with Africa for the development of cooperation in the field of civil aviation. Relevant agreements have been concluded with 42 countries of the continent, 35 of which are located south of the Sahara. Unfortunately, as of today, only one of the countries supervised by the Department has a regular air service: flights from the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa to Moscow.

I would like to specify at once that negotiations with authorized structures of foreign countries in the field of air transportation are the prerogative of the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation and its subordinate structure - Rosaviatsia. As a matter of principle, we are in favor of expanding the geography of domestic carriers' routes, including African countries, and are ready to provide all possible assistance. But there are a number of nuances here, first of all, the impact of illegitimate sanctions imposed on the industry. In this regard, it is necessary to take into account the legal aspects and legal norms of each individual state on the whole range of issues - from obtaining permits to maintenance of aircrafts, their refueling and so on.

- Which states could become the most interesting for Russian travelers?

- As for the visits of Russian travelers to African countries, you know very well that after the restrictions imposed by the West, the tourist flow to the continent increased significantly. This happened even though, compared to traditional routes, traveling there is not the cheapest pleasure. Africa attracts with its local color, abundance and variety of natural beauties - in fact, it remains one of the most amazing places on the planet, where modernity neighbors with the traditions of the past.

Speaking specifically about countries, Russians are attracted by island states - Mauritius, Seychelles, East African destinations - Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia. It is becoming fashionable to visit the southern part of the continent - South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia. In general, the vast majority of African states have a tourist potential not disclosed by our compatriots, in each you can find something special.

"As for the embassy in South Sudan, it is being established from scratch"

- Earlier it was reported that Russia will open embassies in some African countries. In particular, Sierra Leone, Niger and South Sudan were mentioned. Does Russia plan to open diplomatic missions in other countries of the continent? How important is this in the current difficult geopolitical situation?

- There is no doubt that the development of a network of diplomatic missions is a cardinal step in strengthening our multifaceted cooperation with the continent. Expanding Russia's presence "on the ground" is first and foremost important from a political point of view to ensure effective interaction with local authorities.

In 2023, our embassies in Burkina Faso and Equatorial Guinea began operating. Now Niger, Sierra Leone and South Sudan are next in line. This was preceded by painstaking work: it was necessary to obtain the formal consent of the local authorities and to resolve many organizational and legal issues. At the same time, I should like to note that the situation with our foreign missions has its own peculiarities. In Niamey and Freetown, we are talking specifically about the resumption of the activities of representative offices. The missions in these countries established by the Soviet Union immediately after the establishment of diplomatic relations were closed in 1992 for financial reasons. It was a difficult time for Russian-African relations, Russia was focused on its own problems.

Fortunately, the situation has changed dramatically. The geopolitical conditions have also changed, requiring intensified cooperation in all areas - political, trade, economic and humanitarian.

As for the embassy in South Sudan, it is being established from scratch, which is a completely different story. There have never been our permanently working diplomats there due to the fact that the country gained independence relatively recently, in 2011. Since then, a Russian ambassador has been accredited in the republic, whose residence is in neighboring Uganda. We very much hope that an official decision on embassies in the three countries will be made in the very near future. The Russian Federation plans to further expand its diplomatic presence in Africa. Such work is underway, although it is premature to talk about where Russian diplomatic missions will be opened.

- Are the West and Ukraine trying to hinder the development of Moscow's contacts with African capitals?

- The collective West's opposition to the foreign policy course we are pursuing in Africa is felt, if I may say so, on a permanent basis. Their diplomats and representatives of the Kiev regime are conducting coordinated work in African capitals. This can include point political demarches in order to prevent Russia's influence from growing, and an extensive information campaign to discredit our efforts to strengthen good, friendly and mutually beneficial economic relations. All methods are used, nothing is spared, even open blackmail of Africans. This applies both to bilateral ties and large-scale summit events, such as the second summit of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum in 2023.

Here is the most recent example. In November, the first ministerial conference of the forum was held in Sochi. This new dialog format is intended to become a coordinating mechanism for the implementation of the tasks set by the heads of state in St. Petersburg. The Westerners used all the levers they had at their disposal to pressure the African capitals so that as few delegations as possible would come and the event would eventually be canceled. But their next attempt to "isolate" Russia failed. Despite the work organized against us, the forum was attended by 54 official delegations of countries and regional integration associations, including more than 40 ministers.

In such a short period of time, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Mikhail Bogdanov, Special Representative of the Russian President for the Middle East and Africa and Deputy Foreign Minister, held meetings with most of the heads of delegations. The main leitmotif in the final documents, which is shared by Africans, is that Russian-African cooperation today is the driving force behind the formation of a just multipolar world order free from dictates based on the true equality of states and the rule of international law. As a result, the conference was very fruitful and received a lot of favorable comments from our partners.

"Now we are considering deliveries to the states that have suffered greatly from natural disasters"

- Russia has previously repeatedly sent grain and fertilizers to some African states on a free-of-charge basis. Are new deliveries planned in the near future, and if so, to which countries?

- We are well aware of the importance of supplies of such goods, primarily foodstuffs, for the socio-economic development of African states, the achievement of food security indicators and the fulfillment of sustainable development goals. Despite the collective Western policy of sanctions against Russia, our country continues to be a responsible and conscientious partner and fulfills all its obligations to supply Africa with agricultural goods, fertilizers, energy and other critical products for the continent.

The transfer of foodstuffs, primarily Russian grain, is carried out through two main channels - in the form of gratuitous assistance on a bilateral basis at the request of African Governments, or as part of participation in the efforts of international organizations.

The initiative of Russian President Vladimir Putin to transfer wheat shipments to six countries - Central African Republic, Somalia, Burkina Faso, Zimbabwe, Mali and Eritrea - was received with great gratitude.

On an ongoing basis, we provide assistance to African countries within the framework of the UN World Food Program. In 2020, Russia increased its annual additional contribution to its fund. Under this line, the beneficiaries of Russian assistance are the most needy - Burkina Faso, Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Guinea, Madagascar, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Somalia, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Sudan, Zimbabwe and Zimbabwe. Now the deliveries to the states that have been severely affected this year by natural disasters, primarily by drought, are being considered.