Russian soft power on display at Africa summit

Aboubakary Guiro, a financial expert from Ivory Coast, is full of hope after attending the first ever Russia-Africa summit this week in the Black Sea resort of Sochi.

"We forget about Russians when we talk business," said Guiro, the co-partner of a financial advisory firm based in Abidjan.

"We think about the EU-USA-China trio," he added, pointing to a number of psychological and language barriers.

"From now on we will be much more open."
Its booklet said, in four languages, that the outfit's top goal is to help countries, especially in Africa, "attract investment and "unlock their growth potential."
Malkevich, head of the Foundation for the Protection of National Values, hosted a roundtable discussion which saw speakers including the defence minister of the Central African Republic, Marie-Noelle Koyara, denounce the influence of "former colonial powers."
"We try to help Russian business establish in Africa," he told AFP. "We know who is who."
The US Treasury Department said the site posted content which was "generally ridden with inaccuracies."