Joint Statement by the Participants in the Second Ministerial Conference of the Russia–Africa Partnership Forum (PART I)

1.1 We, the Foreign Ministers of the Russian Federation and the African States recognised by the United Nations (UN), the Leadership of the African Union Commission and the executive bodies of the leading African integration organisations, as well as their representatives, gathered on 19–20 December 2025 in Cairo, Arab Republic of Egypt, to participate in the Second Ministerial Conference of the Russia–Africa Partnership Forum.

1.2 We are pleased to note the strategic level of Africa-Russia cooperation and the dynamic implementation of the agreements enshrined in the final documents of the first (Sochi, 23–24 October 2019) and second (Saint Petersburg, 27–28 July 2023) Russia–Africa Summits, including the Russia–Africa Partnership Forum Action Plan 2023–2026.

1.3 We express our willingness to proceed with the preparation of the next Action Plan for 2026–2029 aiming at its adoption at the third Russia–Africa Summit.

1.4 We highly appreciate the outcomes of the First Ministerial Conference of the Russia–Africa Partnership Forum (Sochi, 9–10 November 2024). We reiterate our commitment to implement the joint statements adopted there, including on measures to create a fair, transparent and equitable system of international information security; strengthening cooperation in the fight against terrorism; and current issues of exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes.

1.5 We reconfirm the shared responsibility of African States and the Russian Federation to promote a just and stable world based on the principles of sovereign equality of States, non-interference in their internal affairs, respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity and the right of all peoples to self-determination as provided for, inter alia, by UN General Assembly resolutions 1514 (XV) of 14 December 1960 and 79/115 of 4 December 2024.

1.6 We express our full support for UN General Assembly resolution 79/272 of 4 March 2025 on the Eightieth anniversary of the end of the Second World War, a historic event that established the conditions for the creation of the United Nations, designed to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, and reaffirm the importance of preserving historical memory while ensuring reconciliation and peace.

2 - Political Cooperation

2.1 We acknowledge the intense dynamics of political engagement between the Russian Federation and African States, including at the high and highest levels, and welcome the expansion of mutual diplomatic presence.

2.2 We commend dynamic regional and continental integration processes across the African continent. We stress the need for joint efforts to achieve Africa's priority development goals outlined in the Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want, including its Second Ten Year Implementation Plan, as well as in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development approved by UN General Assembly resolution 70/1 of 25 September 2015. In this regard we also recognise the commitments from the recently held G20 Summit in South Africa and express our commitment and concurrence with the South Africa’s G20 Presidency rooted in the conviction that the world needs more solidarity, equality and sustainability. We consider the development of constructive partnership between the Russian Federation and the African Union, as well as African integration organisations, to be one of our shared foreign policy priorities.

2.3 We reaffirm our shared commitment to the goals and principles of the Charter of the United Nations in their entirety, totality, interrelationship and indivisibility.

2.4 We express our readiness to consolidate the efforts of the African States and the Russian Federation committed to ensuring universal respect for international law and strengthening its role as foundation of international relations. We note the inadmissibility of any attempts to substitute, revise or arbitrarily interpret it.

2.5 We reaffirm our strong commitment to consistent contribution to the strengthening of the sovereignty of the Russian Federation and African States, and to development of multilateral formats based on the norms of international law, national legislations and other key strategic documents.

2.6 We express our deep concern that 65 years after the adoption of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples – drafted and promoted primarily by the USSR – the provisions of this document have not been yet fully implemented. We therefore advocate the prompt and full implementation of the UN General Assembly resolution 79/115 in order to eradicate colonialism and neo-colonialism and to the immediate end of the violent and indirect usurpation of the potential of the States and peoples of the Global South by former colonial powers. We welcome the adoption of the UN General Assembly resolution 80/106 of 5 December 2025 proclaiming the 14th of December an International Day against Colonialism.

2.7 We welcome the close cooperation with African countries in UN platforms and other international organisations, and advocate strengthening of coordination to jointly promote and defend our common priorities.

2.8 We commend the Group of the 3 African countries (A3) on the Security Council for their active role in promoting and defending African positions within the Security Council, as well as for their significant contributions to the promotion of international and regional peace and security.

2.9 We affirm our commitment to achieve a more equitable distribution of penholdership roles for the issues on the UN Security Council agenda, based on the need to increase the participation of Africans states in the preparation of documents on peace and security on the continent.

2.10 We stand ready to further engage constructively in the well-considered reforming of the UN Security Council in order to ensure that the Council reflects current geopolitical realities including a world characterised by multipolarity, and in accordance with the Common African Position enshrined in the Ezulwini Consensus and the Sirte Declaration.

2.11 We reaffirm our commitment to contribute to the improvement of the mechanism for applying international sanctions, based on the exclusive competence of the UN Security Council to impose such measures and on the need to ensure their effectiveness in maintaining international peace and security and preventing the deterioration of the humanitarian situation. Within the UN Security Council, we will continue to coordinate approaches towards sanctions policies regarding African States, also aimed at further easing and full lifting of restrictive measures no longer relevant.

2.12 We reaffirm our firm opposition to the use of Unilateral Coercive Measures as a tool for political and economic compulsion, and welcome the proclamation of 4 December as the International Day against Unilateral Coercive Measures.

2.13 We advocate for cooperative, rather than confrontational relations. We recognize the value of diverse multilateral platforms, including BRICS, in promoting a more inclusive and representative system of global governance.

2.14 We welcome the activities of BRICS in cooperation with African States in promoting an equitable and inclusive system of international relations, based on a just world order and the sovereign equality of all States, acknowledge BRICS’s comprehensive work with African countries, to ensure their more active and meaningful participation in global processes and decision-making mechanisms.

2.15 We note the African Union's Theme of the Year 2025 – "Justice for Africans and People of African Descent Through Reparations"– as being timely and aligned with the spirit of the age. We reaffirm our readiness to continue working together to preserve the historical memory of the crimes and consequences of the colonial era and to create legal mechanisms for assessment and compensation of the damage inflicted on African countries during the colonial period.

2.16 We intend to promote further strengthening of cooperation and support for mutual initiatives on international platforms to combat all manifestations of racism, racial discrimination as well as discrimination based on religion or origin including xenophobia and related intolerance, aggressive nationalism, neo-Nazism and neo-fascism, and resolve to cooperate together to achieve the full implementation of the 2001 Durban Declaration and Programme of Action.

2.17 We express our readiness to promote international legal cooperation, in particular in criminal matters, and international criminal justice mechanisms, whilst simultaneously working jointly to counteract their politicisation and misuse in violation of the principle of sovereign equality of States.

2.18 We emphasise the importance of Africa-Russia inter-parliamentary cooperation. We welcome the holding of Russia–Africa international parliamentary conferences, which contribute to strengthening the dialogue between the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, the Pan-African Parliament, the African Parliamentary Union, national parliaments of African States and bilateral friendship groups.

2.19 We advocate enhanced interaction among political parties representing key political forces in Russia and African countries in order to coordinate positions on relevant issues of the international and regional agenda, including on countering modern neo-colonial practices.

2.20 We reaffirm our commitment to further facilitating, on a bilateral basis, of conditions for reciprocal travels between the Russian Federation and African States, in particular to increase business, education, cultural, tourist and other people-to-people exchanges.

2.21 We recognize the potential of triangular cooperation as a practical tool to accelerating sustainable development and enhancing partnerships between African nations and international partners, including the Russian Federation. This model of cooperation, which engages African countries, traditional partners, and emerging actors, provides an effective framework for promoting inclusive growth, exchanging knowledge, and achieving mutual benefit. It facilitates the alignment of technical expertise, financial resources and innovative solutions to support African-led development priorities in key sectors such as capacity building, food security, health, and climate resilience, consistent with the objectives of Agenda 2063 and the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.

2.22 We emphasize the value of capacity-building programs and experience-sharing initiatives, including through cooperation with development cooperation agencies around Africa in advancing African cooperation, capacity building, and sustainable development, thus, contributing to strengthening African-led solutions through the exchange of knowledge, expertise, and best practices in key sectors such as health, agriculture, climate resilience and human capital development.

2.23 Recognizing the role of Agenda 2063 in addressing the root causes of conflicts in Africa we acknowledge the need to pursue peace, security and sustainable development simultaneously and in this regard we welcome the operationalization and the mission of the African Union Centre for Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development, hosted in Cairo.

3 - Security Cooperation

3.1 We note with concern that the current international security situation is marked by the build-up of conflict potential at the global and regional levels, increased challenges and strategic risks arising from growing differences between States, including those with military nuclear capabilities.

3.2 We call on the world community to consolidate political and diplomatic efforts aimed at overall reduction of tensions, peaceful resolution of ongoing conflicts and prevention of new crises as well as ensuring lasting and comprehensive global and regional stability. Such efforts should be based on the principles of equal and indivisible security, mutual respect for each other's fundamental interests and elimination of root causes of conflicts and contradictions.

3.3 We advocate for compliance with international law and reject any approaches threatening stability in Africa. We emphasise the importance of respecting the universal Africa-led solutions, with partners supporting where appropriate and deplore the involvement of external actors in fuelling conflicts in Africa. We commit to promoting peaceful conflict resolution, including by facilitating inclusive dialogue, and to cooperating in conflict prevention.

3.4 We express our readiness to continue close cooperation for the efficient implementation of the UN Security Council resolution 2719 of 21 December 2023 aimed at introducing effective mechanisms to increase the predictability, reliability and flexibility of funding for African Union-led peace support operations approved by the UN Security Council.

3.5 We reaffirm our readiness to set up a standing top-level Africa–Russia dialogue mechanism that will contribute towards peace, stability and security as well as coordinating efforts in combatting terrorism and extremism, addressing environmental problems as well as food and information security issues. We intend to take joint efforts in combating transnational organised crime, the use of information and communication technologies, including Artificial Intelligence, for criminal purposes.

3.6 We are deeply concerned about the upsurge in terrorist organisations' activities across African regions as well as the threats posed by these organisations to security of African countries and the rest of the world.

3.7 We commend the effective coordination of positions on counter-terrorism within the UN, which consistently supports its central and coordinating role in countering terrorism.

3.8 We reaffirm our commitment to combat terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, its financing and providing of safe havens to terrorists. We welcome the progress achieved in cooperation between Russian and African government agencies in the fight against the financing of terrorism and money laundering, and reaffirm the need to continue joint efforts on the issue.

3.9 We welcome the support of the Security Council for the adoption by its Counter-Terrorism Committee, in January 2025, of the “non-binding guiding principles on the prevention, detection, and suppression of the use of new and emerging financial technologies for terrorist purposes” (“Algiers Principles”).

3.10 We emphasize that these principles constitute a major contribution to the international system to combat terrorist financing, including in Africa, centred, among other things, on strengthening an understanding of risks related to new financial technologies, developing appropriate and proportionate regulatory frameworks, improving detection mechanisms and disrupting illicit financial flows.

3.11 We emphasise the primary responsibility of States and their competent authorities for countering radicalization and the spread of terrorist and extremist ideologies, ensuring the inevitability of punishment and prosecution for participation in financing, planning, preparing, perpetrating and abetting terrorist acts, preventing recruitment, propaganda and incitement to terrorism in the information space, including Internet.

3.12 We welcome the efforts of the African Union in countering and preventing terrorism, violent extremism and radicalization leading to terrorism, as well as the contribution of concerned African agencies, including African Union Centre for Counter-Terrorism (AUCTC, ex-ACSRT) and the General Assembly of the African Union Mechanism for Police Cooperation based in Algiers. We support measures taken by African regional integration organisations to enhance support to countries of the continent in countering the terrorist threat.

3.13 We recognise Russia’s support to African counter-terrorism capacity-building efforts.

3.14 We are determined to enhance Russia's interaction with African countries and integration organisations in countering terrorism, including through the establishment of a mechanism for regular consultations between Russia and interested African countries and integration organisations of the continent.

3.15 We acknowledge the complex cross-border nature of organised crime and reaffirm our commitment to further enhancing cooperation to develop concrete strategies in combatting this threat and address the main challenges currently facing African countries, in particular illegal immigration and human trafficking, without politicisation and double standards.

3.16 We are committed to intensify cooperation in the fight against trafficking in narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and their precursors, share information and best practices in this area as well as on treatment and rehabilitation of persons who suffer from substance use disorders, drug use prevention and promotion of healthy lifestyle. We reaffirm our commitment to addressing the persistent uneven progress made in ensuring access to, availability and affordability of controlled substances for medical and scientific purposes, especially for pain relief and palliative care in developing countries, in particular in Africa. We call for the removal of any barriers in this regard.

3.17 Recognising the important role played by the African Union and the Collective Security Treaty Organisation in ensuring regional security and stability, we note that there is considerable potential for developing comprehensive interaction between the two organisations with a view to jointly countering cross-border challenges and threats. We intend to foster such cooperation in areas of mutual interest.

3.18 We emphasise the need to intensify collective efforts to strengthen the architecture of multilateral agreements on maintaining international stability, arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery.

3.19 We remain committed to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and believe that ensuring its full implementation and achieving its universality at an early date are one of the priority tasks for maintaining the international security system and we intend to coordinate efforts to ensure the preservation, implementation and universality of the Treaty, to contribute to the successful outcome of the 2026 Review Conference, and to prevent the exploitation of this Review and subsequent Review conferences for political purposes unrelated to the subject matter of the Treaty.

3.20 We underline the primary importance of the efforts aimed at the early implementation of the resolutions on the Establishment of a Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and other Weapons of Mass Destruction in the Middle East, including the Conference convened pursuant to UN General Assembly Decision 73/546 and we call on all invited parties to participate in this conference in good faith and engage with this effort constructively.

3.21 We reaffirm our determination to do the utmost to prevent an arms race in outer space, including the placement of weapons in outer space and its transformation into an arena of military confrontation.

3.22 We intend to contribute by all means to an early launch of negotiations on a legally binding international instrument providing for reliable guarantees for the prevention of the placement of any type of weapons in outer space and the threat or use of force against space objects. We support efforts aimed at globalising the international initiative on the no first placement of weapons of any kind in outer space.

3.23 We acknowledge the need for enhanced cooperation among the members of the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space and reaffirm our commitment towards safeguarding the use of Outer Space exclusively for peaceful purposes and for the benefit of all humankind. We invite African States that are not yet members of the Committee to consider applying for membership.

3.24 We welcome the launch of the African Space Agency in Cairo in 2025 as a practical step towards implementing the African Space Policy and Strategy approved by the African Union in 2016.

3.25 We note the significance of launching multilateral negotiations on an international convention to suppress the acts of chemical and biological terrorism. We underline the primary importance of respecting and strengthening of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on their Destruction and the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction for Parties thereto.

3.26 We remain concerned about the proliferation of small arms and light weapons, which continues to pose a threat to peace and security on the continent, and underscore the importance of strengthening international cooperation for the implementation of “the Silencing the Guns by 2030 Initiative”.

3.27 Building on our countries' export controls obligations arising from internationally recognised treaties and conventions to which they are parties, we emphasise our commitment to keeping the balance between security interests and peaceful uses of technology. We firmly reject any attempts to use export controls as means of exerting pressure and ensuring technological deterrence as well as supporting illegitimate policies of unilateral restrictive measures that have nothing to do with the non-proliferation objectives.

3.28 We welcome the signing of the first-ever universal international legal instrument on combating crimes committed through the use of information and communications technologies (ICTs): the UN Convention against Cybercrime. We advocate its early entry into force and the timely elaboration of a relevant additional protocol thereto on cooperation in countering the use of ICTs for terrorist and extremist purposes as well as for drugs and arms trafficking.

3.29 We express our commitment to the agreement reached within the UN framework to create a permanent platform on international information security – the Global Mechanism on developments in the field of ICTs in the context of international security and advancing responsible State behaviour in the use of ICTs. We call for the elaboration of universal international treaties under the UN auspices aimed at shaping a just and equitable international information security system.

3.30 We emphasise the importance of joint efforts to build the capacity of developing countries in addressing risks and threats to security in the use of ICTs, including through experience sharing and professional training. We are determined to foster enhanced collaboration among Russian and African competent authorities and to improve the legal framework for such cooperation.

3.31 We support the UN's central role in holding discussions on Artificial Intelligence (AI), with emphasis on ensuring the sovereignty of States and compliance with national legislation by AI systems developers as well as creating trustworthy technologies in the field. We express our willingness for joint global efforts to provide an AI governance framework that upholds our shared values, considers risks, builds trust and ensures broad and inclusive international cooperation in compliance with national laws.

3.32 Pursuant to the agreements reached, and as a follow-up of the steps already undertaken in the area, we intend to further enhance the Russia–Africa dialogue on information security, including by establishing a mechanism for regular consultations on the issue between Russia and African countries.

3.33 We welcome the recent developments leading to the agreement on a ceasefire in Gaza, and reaffirming the imperative of ensuring the full and timely implementation of all phases of the agreement so as to consolidate stability and facilitate the earliest possible return to normalcy.

3.34 We emphasize further the importance of the immediate commencement of early recovery and reconstruction efforts, as well as the unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance to all those in need.

3.35 We commend, in this regard, the efforts undertaken by Egypt to maintain the ceasefire, facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza and to advance the efforts of Early Recovery, Reconstruction and Development of Gaza, including by organizing a conference for that purpose in close coordination with other stakeholders. We also underscore the importance of re-establishing the territorial and administrative unity between the West Bank and Gaza under the unified governance of the Palestinian Authority.

3.36 We reaffirm our commitment to a two-State solution based on international law, including relevant UN Security Council and UN General Assembly resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative, whereby an independent and viable State of Palestine will live side by side with Israel in peace and security, in line with the internationally recognized lines of June 1967, which include the Gaza Strip and the West Bank of the Jordan River, with East Jerusalem as its capital.