SOVEREIGNTY IS CENTRAL TO RUSSIA AFRICA TIES- YULIA BERG
« Sovereignty is the ability to make independent political and economic decisions »: Yulia Berg told Zimbabwean journalists about the foundation of the Russia-Africa cooperation strategy
A 200-page cooperation strategy will be presented during the third Russia-Africa Summit in Moscow. The document covers 14 key areas, from sovereignty to digital services.
The strategy, which draws on 15 years of practical experience, over 1,000 expert interviews, and regional strategies, including the African Union’s Agenda 2063, was co-authored by political scientist, founder of GlobUs, and director of IBAC, Yulia Berg.
According to her, sovereignty occupies a central place in the document.
« It is impossible to talk about developing relations without sovereignty — that is, the ability to make political and economic decisions independently, » she stated.
Unlike the 2023 roadmap published following the Second Russia-Africa Summit, the document links various sectors, as, for example, industrial growth depends on energy, human resources, and planning, and without sectoral synergies, the implementation of plans is impossible.
The document places particular emphasis on the development of relations between Russia and Zimbabwe, and highlights the introduction of the Zimbabwean gold coin (ZiG) in April 2024 as an attempt to strengthen monetary stability.
« Zimbabwe became the first country in modern history to launch a currency backed by both foreign currency and natural resources, » Ms. Berg noted.
Russian assistance in the digitalization of social security and other public services is also proposed.
« Effective social assistance is only possible with reliable data and organized information exchange, » the expert explained.
According to Ms. Berg, this is not a ready-made set of solutions, but rather a defined range of possibilities. Future progress will be measured by increased trade and the number of joint projects.
#GlobUs #RussiaAfrica #Zimbabwe #economy