A. N. BRAGIN Our sobkor in Ethiopia Russia-Africa Forum Keywords: Russian-African cooperation, Russian private business In December 2011, the first Russia-Africa business forum was held in Addis Ababa, which was attended by more than 250 people, including ministers from Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Niger, Chad, Mali and Sudan, representatives of the African Union, and heads of African companies. Representatives of key Russian companies and state corporations, such as Gazprom, Lukoil, Russian Railways, Vnesheconombank, Rosatom, Zarubezhgeologiya, Power Machines, and others, attended the event from the Russian side. Opening the forum, Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said that " Africa is open to Russian investment, including in the fields of mining and infrastructure." He stressed: "Africa may be of interest to Russia primarily from the point of view of creating infrastructure and participating in the extraction of minerals." At the same time, the Ethiopian Prime Minister expressed concern not only about the modest volumes of mutual goods flows, but also about the fact that they are carried out mainly through third countries. In his speech, Mikhail Margelov, the Russian President's Special Representative for relations with African leaders, announced Russia's intention to begin a full-scale return to Africa. "In the 1990s, Russia lost almost all its positions here, freeing up territory for the United States, the European Union and China. In 1992, the Russian Federation recklessly closed 9 embassies in sub-Saharan Africa. This poor economy has led to strategic losses that now need to be recouped. Russia should recall its achievements and connections on the continent, and our state is designed to help businesses develop trade and economic ties with Africa. It is time to step up Russian-African contacts, " he said. Today, Russia's policy in Africa is mostly based on economic interests. In addition to military-technical cooperation, the Russian Federation is interested in dev ... Read more