"We are ready, in the current conditions, to support the African countries in strengthening their sovereignty, in solving urgent socio-economic problems and in defending Africa's rightful and dignified place in the modern world, including the reform process of the UN Security Council," Sergey Lavrov said at a reception for foreign diplomats in Moscow on the occasion of Africa Day, which is marked on Saturday, May 25. The Russian minister also announced that they are "preparing to open full-fledged diplomatic missions in Sierra Leone, Niger and the Republic of South Sudan." "The methods of the West have changed, but the essence of its policy towards African countries has remained the same - to subordinate everyone to its will, to live at the expense of others, using more sophisticated forms of exploitation within the framework of the so-called rules-based order," Lavrov stressed, criticizing the West, accusing it of "neo-colonial and colonial practices." Lavrov stressed that Russia is actively working to expand its diplomatic presence in Africa and that Russian-African relations continue to develop. "We are witnessing a growth in Russian-African trade, which last year increased by 20% and amounted to 23 billion euros," he said. In April, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced that Moscow was studying and working on the possibilities of opening diplomatic missions in Sierra Leone, Niger and South Sudan in the future. At that time, the ministry agreed with the authorities of the host countries to open embassies in Burkina Faso and Equatorial Guinea and consulates general in a number of Asian and African countries. In recent years, Russia has increased its presence in Africa, where mercenaries from the Wagner Group operate in several of its countries. In addition, in the context of the food crisis caused by the war in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the free shipment of cereals and fertilizers to the most needy African countries and proposed Russian cooperation to develop agriculture on the continent. Read Also: Putin signs decree to compensate for Russian assets frozen in the US (Portuguese version)