Monitoring desk
MOSCOW
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday sought to expand Moscow’s clout in Africa by touting military aid and economic projects at the first-ever Russia-Africa summit and even offered to help mediate a growing dispute between two of the continent’s largest powers, Egypt and Ethiopia.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin addressed the issue with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in separate meetings on the sidelines of the two-day summit attended by leaders of 43 of Africa’s 54 countries.
Peskov didn’t say whether Egypt and Ethiopia accepted the mediation offer, which the United States also extended in recent days after talks on the dam collapsed this month.
Some pro-government media in Egypt have cast the $5 billion Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam and how it will affect Egypt’s share of Nile river water as a national security threat that could warrant military action. Ethiopia’s Nobel Peace Prize-winning leader this week declared that “no force” could stop the dam’s construction.
El-Sisi and Abiy met Thursday, and an Egyptian spokesman said they agreed on resuming technical talks “immediately” to reach a “final proposal” on the filling and operating of the dam. Bassam Radi’s statement had no mention of mediation.
Ethiopia said Abiy and El-Sisi met about “issues of common concern” but gave no details.
The summit in Sochi underlined Russia’s renewed bid for influence in resource-rich Africa, while heads of state roamed through an expo center displaying military hardware.
Putin emphasized that developing stronger ties with the continent ranks among Russia’s top foreign policy priorities, noting that African nations have emerged as “one of important pillars of the multi-polar world.”
Russia’s annual trade with African nations doubled in the last five years to exceed $20 billion and Putin voiced confidence that it could double again “as a minimum” in the next four or five years.
