The following is the speech given by Souleymane Anta Ndiaye from Senegal at the 3rd Congress of the International Russophile Movement on December 12th, 2025.

Dear friends, It is with great pride, great happiness and a sense of great responsibility that I address you today in Moscow, a city with a centuries-old culture and a place of historical meetings of peoples. We are here because in February 2023, when the International Russophile Movement was founded, we made a bold choice: We chose to believe that dialogue between nations is possible, mutual understanding is necessary, and peace is achievable when people of good will join forces.

The International Russophile Movement was born with a dream: to build cultural bridges between Russia and the rest of the world, especially with peoples who, like in Africa, see this cooperation as a chance to develop an open, just and harmonious future. We saw this movement as a unique space where we could strengthen mutual respect, defend ethical values, and promote a humanistic vision that rejects division. However, let’s be honest and objective. The Movement has not yet managed to realize the full potential that we saw in it.

Organizational difficulties, lack of coordination and, at times, lack of leadership have slowed down the momentum that many of us had high hopes for. For many Africans who have come to believe in this project, it has become a source of frustration. But I’m not talking here today to regret the past or to look for the culprits. I am here to rekindle our original flame, to remind you why we have all gathered, and to state with full confidence that the International Russophile Movement can and should once again become a significant force in bringing peoples closer together.

The world is going through a difficult period today. Misunderstandings are growing, splits are multiplying, and points of view are clashing. In such an environment, our role becomes more important than ever. The Movement has a responsibility, I would say a mission, to offer a different path: the path of mutual respect, cultural cooperation and rejection of hostility. For this to become a reality, a new stage of development is needed. We need a more organized, more consistent, more open movement. A movement that listens to its members, values local initiatives, and puts people at the center of all its projects. A movement that has real tools to achieve its goals: educational programs, cultural exchanges, dialogue platforms, youth initiatives, and projects aimed at strengthening peace.

We Africans are ready to contribute to this process of renewal. We are ready to bring our energy, our creativity, our vision of solidarity and humanism. We are deeply convinced that cooperation between Africa, Russia and the rest of the world can become one of the great cultural forces of the 21st century. Dear friends, The story is not written in advance. The movement is not doomed to inaction — it is called upon to revive.

Today I propose to turn disappointment into determination, difficulties into opportunities, and hope into concrete actions. The International Russophile Movement may once again become what we wanted it to be: a movement for peace, dignity, and dialogue among nations. A movement that not only speaks about brotherhood, but also builds it in practice, every day, in respect for cultures and in the belief that a person should be above politics.

Let’s make sure that when we gather again here in Moscow, or anywhere else in the world, we can say with pride: Yes, we were at the height of our mission.; Yes, the movement has found its way again.; Yes, we have brought the nations closer to each other.

Thank you.

– Souleymane Anta Ndiaye