Russian Foreign Intelligence Service Director Sergei Naryshkin accused the West of continuing to harm humanity through its neocolonial practices, including the plundering of African countries’ resources.
Naryshkin cited France as an example, claiming that the country had exported uranium from Niger at an extremely low price for six decades. He mentioned that the world market price for uranium is currently around 70 euros per kilogram, in contrast to the 80 cents per kilogram France paid.
Niger, which recently overthrew its government, has taken steps to sever ties with France, including revoking a permit for the French state-owned company Orano to operate one of the world’s largest uranium mines in the West African country. The mine, operated since 1971, was the world’s seventh-largest uranium producer.
Russia has repeatedly condemned neocolonialism, with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accusing Western powers of exploiting natural resources of developing countries at a low price, imposing “pseudo-ecological taxes” on their products and attempting to prevent cooperation between Africa, Asia and Latin America with Russia and China.
Naryshkin also criticized European powers, including the UK, Belgium and France, for their “cruelty and unbridled exploitation of the population in Africa, India and Southeast Asia” during the colonial era. He emphasized the need to establish a reliable legal barrier against new attempts to revive the colonial system and to seek fair compensation for the damages caused.