Leaders of 35 countries confirm participation in Russia-Africa summit - senior diplomat

MOSCOW, July 17. /TASS/. About 35 leaders of African countries have formally confirmed their participation in the Russia-Africa summit, and the number of its participants will be growing, Russian Presidential Envoy for the Middle East and Africa and Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said on Wednesday. "Almost all of them want to come. About 35 leaders have formally confirmed [their participation]," he said. "I believe at least 40 leaders will come. The number [of participants] will be growing. We do feel our partners’ commitment and their keen interest." According to Bogdanov, the Russia-Africa summits could be held every two or three years. "It is not a one-time event, we would like to continue that every two or three years on a regular basis. Of course, the venue will change," he told reporters. The first Russia-Africa summit is scheduled to be held in Russia’s Black Sea resort city of Sochi on October 24, 2019. The forum will be co-chaired by Presidents Vladimir Putin of Russia and Abdel Fattah al-Sisi of Egypt, who is holding the African Union presidency in 2019. The summit was preceded a series of events. On June 20-21, Moscow hosted the Russia-Africa economic conference, and the Russia-Africa parliamentary conference was held on July 3. Read more