Putin invites all African leaders to major summit

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Russian President Vladimir Putin has invited the leaders of all African countries to a major Russia-Africa summit, according to the Kremlin on Thursday.

The event is scheduled to be held in the coastal resort city of Sochi on Oct. 24 under co-presidency of Putin and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, who also heads the African Union, the Kremlin said in a statement.

"This is the first event of this level in the history of Russian-African relations, with the heads of all states of the African continent invited, as well as leaders of major sub-regional associations and organizations", the statement said.

It said the forum's purpose is to expand Russian-African cooperation in a number of areas -- including political, economic, technical and cultural.

At the end of the meeting, the participants are expected to adopt a political declaration on the key areas of Russian-African cooperation.

On Oct. 23, the leaders of Russia and Egypt will also open an economic forum that will be attended by Russian and African officials and representatives of major businesses, aiming to strengthen business cooperation and to sign new contracts.