Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said African countries had stood firm despite intense Western pressure to distance themselves from Moscow, speaking at the Russia-Africa Media Forum in Moscow on Tuesday.

"Many times, when we travelled to African countries as part of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's delegation, I heard Africans tell us: 'We remember Russia's contribution.' And I want to say in response: we will never forget how Africa has stood firm under Western pressure. We regard African states as independent, equal partners with whom we have long-standing traditions of friendship and co-operation. These relations have a solid foundation, and you know this better than anyone. It was the Soviet Union - and Russia is the successor to the Soviet Union - that supported African peoples in their struggle for independence and helped develop national economies, industry, energy and education."