6th of July 2020, "Russia and the USA: State and Prospects of Cooperation with the Countries of the African Continent"

The online conference "RUSSIA AND THE USA: STATE AND PROSPECTS OF COOPERATION WITH THE COUNTRIES OF THE AFRICAN CONTINENT" took place on July 6, 2020, using the Zoom platform. This conference was jointly organized by the Junior Scholars Council of the Institute for African Studies and the Council of Young Scholars of the Institute for US and Canadian Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

The event was attended by 14 experts from different regions of Russia, who represented the Institute for African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Institute for US and Canadian Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, as well as speakers from Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, and Perm State University.

Along with Zoom, the YouTube channel of the Junior Scholars Council of the Institute for African Studies was also employed. Everyone interested had the opportunity to watch the participants’ presentations and follow the discussion online. The event record is available via the link.

Deputy Director of the Institute for African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Corresponding Member of RAS, Doctor of Sciences (Hist.), Professor Dmitri M. Bondarenko and Senior Research Fellow of Department of Foreign Policy Studies of the Institute for US and Canadian Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Candidate of Sciences (Hist.), Valentin K. Parhomenko opened the conference with welcoming remarks. Honorary guests noted the importance of developing academic and expert ties between related RAS Institutes and highlighted the relevance of studying issues of multilateral relations between Russia, Africa and the USA.

The first panel addressed various aspects of trade, economic and humanitarian cooperation between Russia, the United States and the countries of the African continent. In particular, the experts concentrated on the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the prospects for cooperation in the humanitarian, investment, transport and energy spheres.

The second panel focused on the foreign policy of the Russian Federation and the United States of America in Africa. Participants looked at the existing and promising areas of cooperation and competition embedded in the current foreign policy of Russia and the United States in Africa.

As a follow-up to the conference, the organizers are planning to publish paper abstracts and articles containing analysis of relevant African issues of practical importance.