Cameroon’s president left Yaoundé on 26 July for St Petersburg, where the second Russia-Africa summit is being held.

The press release from the Office of the President of the Republic recalls that Paul Biya is responding to an invitation from his counterpart Vladimir Putin. “Cameroon and Russia enjoy cordial relations which have always been marked by a broad convergence of views on issues of common interest“, as the official press kit for this visit states.
The same document does not fail to stress the importance of this meeting. “The opportunities offered by this second summit through the Economic and Humanitarian Forum will enable African experts and specialists to develop a frank and constructive dialogue with Russia with a view to an equitable and mutually beneficial partnership”, it reads.
Yaoundé is also convinced that during this summit, Paul Biya and Vladimir Putin will explore new avenues with a view to strengthening bilateral cooperation between Cameroon and Russia in all areas.
This second summit is being held from 27 to 28 July in the city of St Petersburg in an international environment marked by the invasion of Ukrainian territory by the Russian army. This week, the Kremlin denounced pressure from the United States and Europe (Ukraine’s allies) on African heads of state.

“We know, of course, that almost all African countries have been subjected to unprecedented pressure from the United States, and the French embassies on the ground have not remained aloof, and this is still the case,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov was quoted as saying by the RT France news website.
Yaoundé had the following to say on the matter: “Faithful to the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of other States and, above all, to the principle of non-alignment, Cameroon not only hopes that the conflict between Russia and Ukraine will be resolved through dialogue, but also expresses the hope that this conflict will be resolved quickly“.