The alignment between the final statement from the Second Ministerial Conference of the Russian-African Partnership Forum, held in Cairo on December 19-20, and the speech by the Minister of State, Minister of Foreign Minister, National Community Abroad and African Affairs, Ahmed Attaf, mirrored a profound convergence in perspectives and approaches. This underscores Algeria’s unwavering stance on African and international matters while bolstering its position as a key player in promoting African-International partnerships.
This convergence is evident in the clear alignment between the final statement, which called for ending colonialism and neo-colonialism, preserving historical memory, and guaranteeing peoples’ right to reparations, and Algeria’s steadfast position stressed by Minister Attaf. This position centers on criminalizing colonialism as essential to achieving historical justice.
Attaf recalled that Algeria, which hosted an international conference earlier this December on the unequivocal legal criminalization of colonialism, “strongly supports establishing an international day to combat this abhorrent phenomenon that deserves no place in today’s world or tomorrow’s.” The statement noted that the African Union’s 2025 theme “Justice for Africans and People of African Descent Through Reparations” is timely and reflects the spirit of our era, underscoring the need to continue joint work to preserve the historical memory of colonial-era crimes and their aftermath, and to establish legal mechanisms for assessing and compensating the damages suffered by African countries during colonialism.
It also highlighted the joint emphasis on national sovereignty principles and the rejection of external interference, calling for respect for international law and rejection of any approaches that threaten Africa’s stability.
In the same context, it noted the importance of respecting comprehensive African solutions with partner support when appropriate, and condemned external parties’ interference in fueling conflicts across the continent.
It also pledged to strengthen peaceful conflict resolution, including facilitating inclusive dialogue and cooperating on conflict prevention, the very approach Attaf emphasized when he stated that the African-Russian partnership “must prioritize supporting national capacities, rejecting external interference, and promoting political approaches and peaceful solutions.” Similarly, connecting what the statement said about prioritizing African solutions to African problems with the Minister of State’s emphasis on making this principle the cornerstone of crisis management reflects a shared belief in the need to empower African states to lead resolution efforts, independent of externally imposed approaches that have proven limited in addressing the continent’s security and political challenges.
Algeria also welcomed “the renewed African-Russian commitment to the principle of African solutions to African problems amid escalating terrorist threats across the continent and the proliferation of conflict hotspots and tensions.” On counterterrorism, the convergence between the final statement and Algeria’s approach is unmistakable, especially in their shared emphasis on sustained dialogue mechanisms, cutting off terrorism financing, and adopting the Algiers principles as a comprehensive framework that addresses the phenomenon’s security, ideological, and developmental dimensions rather than settling for short-term fixes.
The statement commended the three African states on the Security Council for their active role in championing African positions within the Council and for their key contributions to strengthening international and regional peace and security.
