Russia wants to expand its trade presence in Africa.
At the moment it has four missions on the continent – all in North Africa except for South Africa.
With big parts of Europe refusing to do business with it, Russia is looking for import replacements on things such as fruit and tea.
Russia wants to expand its trade presence in Africa, as its invasion of Ukraine – and subsequent sanctions – strangles trade with its European neighbours.
And that could see it effectively de-focus from South Africa.
A meeting on support for Russian organisations entering African markets saw "a proposal to expand the network of trade missions in Africa in the countries, which are priority for trade," the vice president of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Vladimir Padalko, told Russian state-owned media agency TASS.
That plan is now to be put into action by the various Russian ministries, including those for trade and for foreign affairs.
The European Union was previously Russia's biggest trade partner, with well over a third of total Russian imports drawn from the EU, even after Russian annexed Crimea, causing a general cooling of relations. Economic sanctions imposed since the Ukraine invasion has already made such trade difficult and expensive. Now EU members are considering a Ukrainian request that Russian be kicked out of the World Trade Organisation, and that tariffs be imposed on trade with Russia, adding to disincentives to do business with Russian companies.
Russia currently has four trade missions in Africa, three of them in North Africa, in Algeria, Egypt, and Morocco.
Its trade mission in South Africa has been considerably bolstered by cooperation within BRICS – but Russia's trade with South Africa remains tiny, especially compared to trade with NATO countries.
In 2021, South African exports to Russia totalled slightly over R6 billion, and imports from Russia came to R9.2 billion.
Padalko told TASS that Russia was hoping to source from Africa some of its current imports from Europe, including tea, coffee, and fruit – which is a major part of South Africa's current trade with Russia.
Business Insider SA
https://www.businessinsider.co.za/russia-wants-more-african-trade-missions-for-european-import-replacement-2022-3
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