Putin (L) and Ramaphosa positively assessed the results of the recent Russia-Africa summit in St. Petersburg. Russia-Africa summit held in St. Petersburg. Photo: Kremlin

Havana, Aug 9 (RHC) The Kremlin press service reported from Moscow that Russian President Vladimir Putin held a telephone conversation with his South African counterpart, Cyril Ramaphosa, on Tuesday.

The two leaders discussed "mutual readiness to continue constructive interaction on the international agenda, including preparations for the upcoming summit of the BRICS countries to be held on August 23-24 in Johannesburg, South Africa," the statement said.

On this occasion, Putin will participate by videoconference due to the arrest warrant issued against him by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged war crimes in Ukraine. Instead, the Russian delegation will be headed by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

During the exchange between Putin and Ramaphosa, the results of the recent Russia-Africa summit held in St. Petersburg were "positively assessed, which will undoubtedly lead to the future strengthening of cooperation between Russia and African countries," the presidency said.

The Russian president and African leaders approved last Friday the final Declaration of that event, as well as the action plan of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum for 2023-2026, among other documents.

Among the agreements adopted and signed were the summit declarations on the prevention of an arms race in outer space, cooperation in the field of international information security, and the strengthening of cooperation in the fight against terrorism. (Source: TeleSur)