For the last two decades, the leaders of Southern Africa have been searching for external support and authentic foreign investment in infrastructure, agriculture and manufacturing industry. In addition to these economic spheres, the leaders are all set to perk up significantly business ties with their international partners and look for useful ways to fortify their exports on foreign markets.
In this regard, Southern African countries greet investors’ world over. Russia has a rich history in terms of bilateral engagements with the Southern African countries, which constitute the Southern African Development Community.
In October 2018, the Memorandum of Understanding was repaired which envisages fortifying ties in a broad range of fields and it further emphasizes that SADC remains comparatively as one of key regional Russian partners in Africa.
As per the official documents, Russian Foreign Ministry [MFA] first signed a Memorandum on Cooperation along with Southern African countries on September 1, 2003 during an in-depth meeting organized between then Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov and SADC Executive Secretary Prega Ramsamy.
That agreement mainly targeted at intensifying the diplomatic relations and coordination between the Russian Federation and SADC. The document defined the most promising areas, along with the forms and methods of mutually beneficial cooperation in the trade-and-economic and scientific-and-technical areas, transport and communications, energy and mineral resource development, public health, education and culture.
Additionally it set out the mutual desire of Russia and the SADC member countries to develop the many-sided ties between the parties, including the significance of intensifying political contacts at various levels.
