Russia has praised Africa’s resilience in the collective fight against what it described as “information segregation.”
Maria Zakharova, Spokesperson and Director of the Information and Press Department of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, gave the commendation during a high-level meeting on Tuesday in Moscow, held as part of the business programme of the Russia-Africa Media Forum.
She stressed the need for Russia and African countries to jointly counter attempts by some countries and forces to prevent the free exchange of information between both sides.
According to her, some states do not want Russia and Africa to interact directly and seek to restrict access to information across the two regions.
“The media of Russia and African countries want to interact with each other, but there are other countries that do not want it.
“They believe that there can be no direct exchange of information. This must be done collectively, by joint efforts, and not alone,” she said.
Zakharova expressed gratitude to Africa and urged the continent to work towards closer cooperation with Russia.
She described such support as an expression of the collective principles of justice, equality and the rejection of blackmail.
The high-level forum focused on media sovereignty, countering disinformation and expanding information cooperation between Russia and African countries.
It brought together more than 200 media executives, journalists and government officials from Russia and 46 African countries.
