Malawi will be part of the Russia-Africa Humanitarian Forum, which is slated for July 27 to 28, The Daily Times has learned.
However, Agriculture and Food Security Minister Sam Kawale is expected to represent President Lazarus Chakwera at the indaba.
Russia President Vladimir Putin invited Chakwera to this year’s Second Russia- Africa Humanitarian Forum.
Kawale confirmed Tuesday that he is ready for the summit.
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“I can confirm that I am attending the Russia-Africa summit. Mind you, the summit is just like the USA [United States of America]- Africa Summit and the recent China/Africa Summit. It is a platform where bilateral and multilateral engagements take place for the benefit of all countries,” Kawale said
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He said Malawi stands to benefit from the meeting as Russia is one of the major oil, gas, grain, and fertiliser producers in the world.
“And we, as Malawi, are fostering a good relationship with Russia, just like we do with all other major economies in the world, as one way of achieving our development agenda, specifically Malawi 2063 vision.
“The goal of the summit is to promote efforts to strengthen comprehensive and equal cooperation between Russia and African nations across all areas of society, including politics, security, economic relations, science and technology, and the cultural and humanitarian spheres,” he said.
Earlier this year, the Russian government donated 20,000 tonnes of fertiliser to Malawi as part of its efforts to garner diplomatic support from various African nations.
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At the event, Russia Ambassador to Malawi Nikolai Krasilnikov said it was his hope that, at the summit, African leaders would call for an end to international sanctions against Moscow.
“We expect a delegation from Lilongwe to the summit. We expect the Malawian business community from all over the country to come to the economic forum,” Krasilnikov said.
Meanwhile, political analyst George Phiri has said the fertiliser that Russia donated may have been driven by Russia’s desire to win more African support at the United Nations.
He said Russia may also use the opportunity to ask African nations to speak against sanctions that Western countries have placed on allies of Putin in the wake of the war in Ukraine.
“In my view, it is possible that Russia would want to mobilise some African countries to be on its side and Malawi could be one, looking at how many African countries are voting against Russia,” Phiri said.
He, however, said Russia would only win support from African countries if it made better economic deals than those other development partners offer.
At the United Nations General Assembly last year, Malawi voted to censure Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, but more than 15 other African countries abstained from the vote.
