SOCHI, Russia – Russia has voiced its support for Uganda’s candidacy as a BRICS partner nation, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Saturday.
“We note and respect Uganda’s well-balanced and constructive approach to international affairs, as well as your country’s role in the peacekeeping efforts of the African Union, including in Somalia, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Great African Lakes region. We have supported Uganda’s candidacy during the BRICS Summit in October, when the issue of extending invitations to our friends was discussed,” Lavrov said at a meeting with his Ugandan counterpart Jeje Odongo on the sidelines of the first Ministerial Conference of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum.
The status of a BRICS partner offers a different option from full membership, enabling nations to interact with BRICS without having voting privileges. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov suggested earlier this year that partner status will be “as close to membership as possible.”
The first Ministerial Conference of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum, opened on Saturday in Sochi, seeks to deepen ties with African nations and dispel the notion that Russia is isolated by Western sanctions.
The conference is expected to draw 1,500 participants, including more than 40 ministers of foreign affairs, economy, healthcare, digital development and education from the African continent. Countries represented include Algeria, Angola, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Uganda, and others, according to a Roscongress statement.
