St. Petersburg, Russia – Russian President Vladimir Putin has assured the seven African leaders involved in the African Peace Initiative that he has carefully reviewed their proposals and is genuinely committed to addressing the issue at hand.<\/P>
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President Putin was speaking in St. Petersburg on Friday evening during a working dinner, where he hosted President Cyril Ramaphosa, along with six Heads of State from Senegal, Zambia, the Comoros (which is currently chairing the African Union), Egypt, the Republic of Congo and Uganda.<\/P>
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The dinner was held on the sidelines of the second Russia-Africa Summit, which took place on Thursday and Friday in the Russian Federation.<\/P>
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\u201cPresident Ramaphosa, as one of the co-authors of the African Peace Initiative, came up with concrete proposals and shared them. We have given careful thought to the suggestions put forth by our African friends.<\/P>
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\u201cWe are very serious about that and we have given great attention to this matter. We hope, colleagues, that you understand very well the nature and the origins of this crisis,\u201d President Putin said.<\/P>
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The Russian Head of State told the African leaders that the conflict is not a recent development but has been prolonged due to specific forces that have been preparing for a hybrid war against Russia.<\/P>
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\u201cThey were doing everything to turn Ukraine into an instrument to undermine the fundamentals of security of our country and to damage our world and to undermine our statehood. And I have full grounds to say that,\u201d he said.<\/P>
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Following President Putin\u2019s remarks, the seven prominent African leaders engaged in the African Peace Initiative addressed him, asserting their legitimate right to advocate for peace as the ongoing conflict in Ukraine directly affects the continent.<\/P>
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Citing the direct and adverse impact of the crisis on the continent, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa emphasised that the leaders are steadfast in their commitment to fostering stability and advocating for peace.<\/P>
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\u201cWe stand on the side of peace, and even in this case with the conflict in the Ukraine, we still advocate for peace.<\/P>
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\u201cWe feel that we have a right to call for peace because the ongoing conflict also negatively affects us as African countries. Apart from wanting to support a peace process all over the world, this conflict is now directly affecting us as well,\u201d the President said.<\/P>
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President Ramaphosa conveyed to President Putin that, as previously mentioned, food security remains a significant concern. He highlighted the escalating prices of fertilisers in African countries, leading to an increase in the cost of living across the region.<\/P>
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\u201cThe cost of living in many of our countries has gone up and we do believe that it is in the interest of humanity and the people of Russia and Ukraine that there should be peace and this conflict should be settled in a peaceful manner,\u201d he said.<\/P>
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The African Heads of State acknowledged President Putin\u2019s explanation regarding the origins and beginning of the conflict, while expressing satisfaction that he recognises the peace initiative.<\/P>
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The leaders further noted President Putin\u2019s consideration of their proposal, particularly their call for engagement, which was presented to him last month in St. Petersburg.<\/P>
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\u201cWe are, however, pleased to hear you say you recognise the initiative that we, as seven African countries, have taken and you take this initiative by the seven countries very seriously. You have given due consideration and regard to the proposals that we put forward and you will recall that we said we would like engagement,\u201d President Ramaphosa said.<\/P>
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The African leaders further emphasised that they stand firm on respect for the United Nations Charter and principles, which they also have appropriated as African Union.<\/P>
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\u201cWe do believe that those principles should be respected, and we are pleased to hear you say exactly the same thing. We are pleased to hear you also say that our ideas resonate with your ideas and they also coincide with the ideas that have been put forward by others,\u201d President Ramaphosa said.<\/P>
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He conveyed to President Putin that during their conversation, the Russian President addressed certain points mentioned in the African proposals, specifically concerning grain.<\/P>
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They proposed the implementation of the Black Sea initiative, aiming to open the Black Sea to the global market. President Ramaphosa further emphasised that their intention was not to seek donations for the African continent during the meeting.<\/P>
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\u201cWe were not coming to plead for donations for the African continent. We do recognise that out of the generosity of the heart of the Russian Federation, you have decided to donate grain to a number of countries on the continent that are facing challenges with respect to that and we accept that,\u201d the President said.<\/P>
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Source: South African Government News Agency<\/P>
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St. Petersburg, Russia – Russian President Vladimir Putin has assured the seven African leaders involved in the African Peace Initiative that he has carefully reviewed their proposals and is genuinely committed to addressing the issue at hand.President…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n