H.E. Mr. Sergey Berdnikov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Ghana and the Republic of Liberia: “Here they appreciate that Moscow fosters partnerships with Africa without political conditions”

Our talk with H.E. Mr. Sergey Berdnikov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Ghana and the Republic of Liberia, was comprehensive and varied.

– Your Excellency, this year has three anniversaries in store for you: you are turning 60 years old, 35 of which you have dedicated to diplomatic service, and for the last five of which you have been Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Ghana and the Republic of Liberia. In your opinion, what is the most important thing within the framework of diplomatic service? Which qualities should a diplomat encompass? Which principles drive you in your work?

– Diplomatic service is one of the most fascinating and creative professions, combining deep knowledge from many fields, analytical thinking, unconventional approaches, and erudition. At the same time, one works with people representing different states, cultures, and traditions. The ability to engage in dialogue — to listen and hear your interlocutor to find the right arguments, approaches, and compromises, even under complex international conditions — these are the qualities without which the work of a diplomat would simply be impossible. I also consider resilience and the ability to work in a team to be important factors. Throughout all these years, a sense of camaraderie has more than once helped and supported me.

The fundamental principle of our diplomatic service, however, is defending national interests and protecting the interests of Russian citizens abroad, a principle clearly enshrined in our Foreign Policy Concept approved by Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2023. It is important to note that the world is inevitably becoming multipolar, and today it makes no sense to try to slow down this objective process. The very trend towards multipolarity reflects the legitimate demands of the states of the global majority. But it must be based on respect for international law, strict adherence to the provisions of the UN Charter, including sovereign equality of states and the right of nations to self-determination, as well as other international documents adopted on the basis of consensus.

– ­Today, Russian-Ghanaian cooperation is developing under extremely challenging conditions, both in terms of the international situation and in light of Accra’s foreign policy priorities. Nevertheless, have you managed to find common ground and develop areas where our interests align most closely?

– Indeed, the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact of ‘Collective West’ sanctions imposed on our country in connection with the start of the Special Military Operation in Ukraine, which has disrupted the established international trading system, could not but affect Russian-Ghanaian trade and economic relations. Nevertheless, owing to the coordinated efforts of all relevant ministries and agencies, the work of the Russian-Ghanaian Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, and Technical Cooperation was resumed in 2023. During a session held on December 13-15, 2023 (the previous one took place in 2019), a number of Russian companies announced plans to enter the Ghanaian market,  including Russian Helicopters, KAMAZ, United Metallurgical Company (OMK), Novostal-M, Uralchem, Uralkali, Russian Railways, Transmashholding, Power Machines, Rushydro, and others.

Furthermore, we have recently managed to significantly increase bilateral trade turnover – more than three and a half times – from $247 million USD in 2022 to........

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