Bangladesh, Dec. 21 -- Russia is positioning Africa as a central pillar of its evolving foreign policy, with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov declaring that cooperation between Moscow and African nations has vast untapped potential across political, economic, and security spheres. Speaking at the Second Ministerial Conference of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum in Cairo on December 20, Lavrov emphasized that relations with the continent are no longer symbolic or episodic, but part of a long-term strategic trajectory.

Addressing delegates from more than 50 African countries, Lavrov described Russian-African relations as “steadily developing across all areas,” underpinned by what he called a substantive and trust-based...