By Andrey Rezchikov
The Russian President, Vladimir Putin has called for the opening of a Russian transport and logistics center on the African east coast. This would ensure Africa's connection to the North-South transport corridor. In Soviet times, Russia was actively present on the continent, but now the initiative has been taken by China and the United States. According to analysts, Russia should return to its former positions. But how to do this and which countries should it pay attention to?
On Thursday, Vladimir Putin said during the Russia-Africa summit that the opening of a Russian transport and logistics center in one of the ports on the African east coast "would be a good thing, a good start to joint work." According to the head of state, Russia is seeking to ensure "the connection of the North-South transport corridor with Africa, with the launch of regular cargo shipping lines."
Putin stressed that this corridor could also be used in the opposite direction to supply African goods to the Russian market. At the same time, analysts recall that the Soviet Union possessed several naval facilities on the east coast of Africa.
In 1965, the USSR began to strengthen the Somali merchant and naval fleety. A pier was built in the port of Berbera. Ten years later, a base of ships of the USSR Navy and an airfield for receiving heavy ultra-long-range aircraft appeared there. But in 1977, the Soviet-Somali treaty of July 11, 1974 was terminated for the reason that the USSR did not support the invasion of the Somali army into the territory of Ethiopia, which later began to receive Soviet equipment.
However, this was not the only place. In 1981, after the start of the coup d'état in the Seychelles, the Soviet Union sent a fleet to this island state. As a result, the coup d'état failed, and a Soviet naval base appeared in the Seychelles, which lasted until 1990. In addition, there were military installations of the USSR on one of the islands of the Dahlak archipelago (Nokra, formerly Ethiopia, and now Eritrea).
The analyst community believes that Russia has the opportunity to restore its presence in the countries of East Africa, which will actively develop over the next decade. In addition, the presence of the United States and China is now increasing in the region , especially in areas that are washed by the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the second most trafficked nautical section on the planet.
“The largest deep water port in East Africa is Djibouti in the city-state of the same name. Djibouti is connected by a railway and a highway, recently reconstructed by the Chinese, with Ethiopia, where about 122 million people live, ”says Edward Chesnokov, a teacher at the Far Eastern Federal University, an international journalist for Komsomolskaya Pravda, specializing in Africa.
In the port of Djibouti there is a free economic zone, from where customs-cleared goods can be transported deep into the whole of Africa. “This is the most obvious opportunity to open a Russian transport and logistics center, because this port has transshipment facilities, it is able to receive a wide variety of cargo,” the source emphasizes.
The fact that US, Chinese and European military bases are located in Djibouti should not be a hindrance for Russia. “Djibouti uses a policy of balance between different poles of power. Therefore, I fully admit that in order to balance the presence of the Chinese, it would be interesting for them to interact with Russia,” Chesnokov suggested.
Among the less obvious options for Russia is the port of Berbera on the coast of the Gulf of Aden. “In the 1970s, there was a Soviet military base there. Berbera is Somaliland, an unrecognized state in Somalia. This option is much more difficult, although no less promising, because there is an opportunity to return to where we have already been, using the unrecognized status of Somaliland, which, of course, will turn its face to the country that first recognizes it,” the analyst believes.
Theoretically, it is possible to build a large port in Eritrea, "but there, as they say, the zebra did not roll - there is no infrastructure to receive a significant amount of cargo." According to Chesnokov, Russia has a number of opportunities, for example, in Kenya, but from the point of view of logistics, this is far from the best option. “There is another option with Mogadishu, the main port of Somalia,” the source says.
In addition, Russia may still be interested in Port Sudan on the Red Sea. “But political instability persists in Sudan. A civil war has been going on since the spring, and in such conditions it is extremely difficult to implement large infrastructure projects. For five years now, there has been talk about creating a Russian military base in Sudan, but at first they say “yes”, and then, when the United States lifts part of the sanctions against the Sudanese, they say “no,” the analyst explained.
“Many ports in East Africa are suitable for us.
There is Mombasa in Kenya, where our Chinese colleagues are actively working. Also a seaport in Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. Ports in Sudan can also play their role,” says Alexei Maslov, director of the Institute of Asian and African Countries, Moscow State University named after M.V. Lomonosov, Professor of the School of Oriental Studies, National Research University Higher School of Economics.
He believes that the unstable political situation in Sudan and other African countries should not interfere with the development of relations with them, especially since "there is no other way." “Tanzania is more stable in this regard, as is Kenya, for example, the port of Lamu,” the source said.
Maslov also agrees that nothing should prevent Russia from gaining a foothold in Djibouti. “A Chinese military base has already been opened there. Here it is very important not to clash with Beijing. The vast majority of ports in Africa all along the coast are controlled by the Chinese. They have invested billions of dollars in it. Therefore, it is important to choose the right strategy: work alone or approach cooperation,” the analyst explained.
“Today, trade and economic ties with Africa are reviving. We need to restore them, then we can get a significant profit. We have a lot of experience. The port infrastructure that was used in the Soviet era has been resuming its activities for the last three or four years,” adds Evgeny Korendyasov, former ambassador of the Soviet Union and Russia to Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, leading researcher at the Institute for African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
According to him, among the countries of East Africa, first of all, it is worth paying attention to Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Mozambique and resuming flights with them. In the Soviet years, up to 20 airlines operated, and now there is no regular air service at all. According to the World Bank,
The coming decade will be a time of dynamic development for the continent, "thanks to which the opportunities for building up mutually beneficial economic and trade cooperation are increasing."
“Russia has a particularly long experience of working with Rwanda. All of this needs to be restarted. Our economy is becoming a new technological base. Over the past 20 years, African countries have grown markedly economically, they have new production and transport capacities. On average, GDP growth exceeds 3.5%, and in some countries - 12-15% per year. That is, there are necessary material and technical conditions,” the interlocutor emphasizes.
Korendyasov specifically noted that Russia is already trying to strengthen its position in Djibouti and owns several hectares of land to create the necessary trade and maritime infrastructure. “The interest of Russian business in Africa is growing, although we are somewhat late, while the Chinese have firmly established themselves in some countries. Competition is increasing, and I'm not talking about the presence of former metropolises. Therefore, we need to quickly increase our presence there,” the analyst adds.
This article originally appeared in Russian at vz.ru