Russia seeks to boost ties with Egypt, Algeria at Africa summit

Egypt, Algeria were among the countries participating in Russia’s Africa summit that concluded on Friday, as Moscow seeks greater ties with the continent amid the grain crisis and the coup in Niger.

The meeting in St. Petersburg was the second time Russia has hosted a summit with African leaders since 2019, but the first since the invasion of Ukraine last year. A total of 17 heads of state from across the continent participated in this meeting, while another 32 countries were represented by other senior officials. That's a much lower number than 2019, when 43 heads of state attended, according to The Associated Press. The Kremlin has been more isolated and reeling from impact of sanctions since waging the war in Ukraine.

The following is a breakdown of Egypt, Algeria, Morocco and Libya’s participation in the summit.

Egypt

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah, who co-hosted the 2019 summit, delivered a speech on Friday calling for an international agreement on grain exports.  

“I underscore the importance of finding prompt solutions to provide food and grain at prices that would help Africa overcome this crisis, while exploring innovative financing mechanisms to support agricultural and food systems in Africa,” said Sisi, according to a transcript from his office. He asked for a solution "that would take into consideration the demands and interests of all parties and curb rising grain prices.”

Egypt, one of the largest wheat consumers in the world, imported around 80% of its grain from Russia and Ukraine before the war last year. The Russian invasion in February of 2022 severely disrupted imports, and also led to inflation in Egypt and elsewhere.

In July of last year, Russia and Ukraine signed an agreement with Turkey that enabled grain exports to resume via the Black Sea. However, the deal expired earlier this month, and has yet to be revived, despite Turkey’s efforts.

Speaking at the conference on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin tried to assure African leaders that Russia is committed to exporting grain, despite the breakdown of the Turkey deal. Putin promised no-cost grain shipments to Burkina Faso, Zimbabwe, Mali, Somalia, Eritrea and Central African Republic in the next three to four months, according to the AP.

Several African leaders called on Russia to return to the grain deal at the summit, Reuters reported.

Sisi also participated in a luncheon on Thursday as head of the New Partnership for Africa's Development — the development arm of the African Union (AU). Egypt is currently leading the partnership. Sisi said at the event that Egypt’s priorities for Africa-Russia relations are security and post-conflict reconstruction, according to the state-owned news outlet Al-Ahram.

Sisi also met with his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday to discuss ways to boost bilateral trade, Al-Ahram reported.

Russian Minister of Economic Development Maxim Reshetnikov said on Thursday that his country plans to open a new production facility in Egypt, though he did not provide further details, according to Russia’s official Tass news agency.

Morocco

Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch represented Morocco at the summit along with Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita.

In his speech, Akhannouch called for more strategic partnerships and also praised Russia’s “determination to strengthen friendly relations and constructive cooperation with the participating African countries.” He also called for more cooperation to end the Ukrainian war's impact on food and energy security, according to the official Magreb Arab Presse.

Morocco also participated in the 2019 summit.

Algeria

Algerian Prime Minister Aymen Benabderrahmane met Putin and Malik Agar, vice president of Sudan's Transitional Sovereign Council, according to the Algeria Press Service, which also signed a memorandum of understanding with Tass at the summit.

Russian Energy Minister Nikolay Shulginov said on Thursday that the Russian gas giant Novatek is interested in exploring the Algeria market. Russia and Algeria also agreed to extend the presence of Russian energy companies in Algeria, Tass reported.

Like Morocco, Algeria also participated in the 2019 summit.

Tass also reported that Russia has begun negotiations with Algeria, Morocco and Egypt on a free trade zone in Africa.

Libya

Tass reported that Presidential Council Chairman Mohamed al-Menfi was scheduled to participate in the summit. Libya did not immediately confirm his attendance.

Putin said on Friday that he intends to discuss Libyan national unity with the country’s leadership, according to Tass.

Libya participated in the 2019 summit as well amid its civil war. Russia backed the eastern-based Libyan National Army led by Gen. Khalifa Hifter in the conflict. Hostilities ended with a ceasefire in late 2020.

Why it matters: Russia is seeking a bigger footprint on the African continent. Russia is especially interested in ties with Egypt, focusing on tourism and economic cooperation

The summit is being held during the unfolding coup in west Africa’s Niger. France is concerned that Russia will gain more influence in Niger due to the putsch, Rina Bassist reported for Al-Monitor on Friday.

Know more: Sisi toured southern Africa in June, visiting Angola, Zambia and Mozambique in a visit focused on political, economic and security ties.