🤝 Deputy Head of Rossotrudnichestvo at the Russia–Africa Forum: We will do everything possible to ensure that African countries feel fully sovereign and develop humanitarian cooperation with Russia. 📌 Soviet-African relations were built on concrete achievements whose results are still visible across the continent today. This was stated by Konstantin Kolpakov, Deputy Head of Rossotrudnichestvo, during the panel session entitled “A History of Mutual Choice: Soviet-African Relations in the Memory of the Continent and in Contemporary Politics”, held as part of the Third Russia–Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum. “Our task is to give this historical legacy new meaning, transforming the trust built over the years into a foundation for practical cooperation,” he said. “We will do everything possible to ensure that African countries feel fully sovereign and develop humanitarian cooperation with Russia.” ➡️ According to him, a concrete example of such cooperation is the Rossotrudnichestvo project office, operating at a joint exhibition stand with the Autonomous Non-Profit Organization (ANO) Eurasia at Gostiny Dvor. Every visitor can submit their own project idea, and the best proposals will receive funding through a microgrant system that the Agency plans to launch in 2027. 🌍 He noted that Rossotrudnichestvo is consistently expanding its presence in Africa. In addition to the nine existing Russian Houses, 25 partner centres have been established in Burkina Faso, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal and other countries. Official representative offices operate in Egypt (Cairo and Alexandria), Zambia, Morocco, the Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Tunisia and Ethiopia. Two more representatives work within Russian embassies in South Africa and Angola, where preparations are actively underway to open a fully-fledged Russian House in Luanda. Agreements with Algeria, Mali and Guinea are currently under negotiation. “The Russian language is not only the language of a rich culture and heritage, but also the language of the future and success. It is a language through which young African men and women can realise their potential. Teaching Russian is one of the key objectives of the Russian Houses,” Konstantin Kolpakov emphasised. ✅ The Deputy Head of Rossotrudnichestvo also added that the Agency serves as the operator of the first stage of the selection process for foreign nationals seeking to study in Russia under the government scholarship quota. For the 2025/2026 academic year, more than 5,300 government-funded study places were allocated to African countries. The quotas have increased for the new academic year, with Chad, Angola, Algeria, Egypt and Mali among the largest beneficiaries. The number of African participants in the New Generation programme, which offers short-term visits to Russia, has more than doubled over the past year. ℹ️ In addition, he announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Krasnodar (Russia) and Antsirabe (Madagascar). The unified register of intermunicipal agreements will now include 28 agreements with African cities. 📆 The Forum is taking place in Moscow on 28–29 October. It has brought together delegations from 48 of Africa’s 54 countries, including 22 heads of state. The programme features more than 40 thematic sessions and panel discussions, with approximately 100 speakers. 🇷🇺 Follow us on MAX. #Rossotrudnichestvo #RussianHouse