When Azali Assoumani stepped off the plane in Moscow this week, he carried with him the hopes of an archipelago looking to widen its circle of partners. The president of the Comores is one of the African leaders who made the journey to the third Russie-Afrique summit, held at the Gostiny Dvor centre in the Russian capital, a historic merchants’ hall whose name alone recalls the trading traditions this gathering is meant to revive. The meeting opened on Thursday 29 October 2026 and closes on Friday 30 October 2026.
Beside him stands another figure whose presence speaks volumes about the moment his country is living through. Colonel Michaël Randrianirina, president of the République de la Refondation de Madagascar, also made the trip. For Malagasy citizens, seeing their new head of state seated at an international table so soon after taking office is a sign of the direction their leadership intends to take on the diplomatic stage.
The Seychelles chose a different path to the same destination. Their delegation is led by foreign affairs minister Barry Faure, according to hafrinz.ru. The reason is a deeply human one: President Patrick Herminie has been convalescing, and only resumed his post at the head of the archipelago on Wednesday. His absence from Moscow is not a political snub but a matter of health, and the decision to send the country’s top diplomat in his place reflects a government determined not to let its voice go unheard while its president recovers.
Behind the official photographs, the real work of the summit belongs to thousands of people whose livelihoods depend on the deals being struck. According to RFI, 4 000 Russian entrepreneurs have engaged in discussions with their African counterparts across a range of sectors, taking part in some forty events over the two days. These are the negotiators, exporters and business owners on both sides who stand to gain, or lose, from the commercial agreements being drafted. For the delegations present, the objective is clear: to consolidate exchanges between their countries and Russia, through cooperation that is both diplomatic and economic. For many African nations, this third diplomatic and economic rendez-vous has become impossible to ignore, and for Russia, the host country, the interest is just as strong.
Not every leader of the Indian Ocean and the African continent chose Moscow, however. Navin Ramgoolam, prime minister of Maurice, is heading elsewhere. He will attend the 28th summit of Commonwealth heads of government, CHOGM, taking place from 1 to 4 November 2026 in St. John’s, Antigua-et-Barbuda. As Le Mauricien writes, the gathering will bring together the leaders of the 56 member countries around questions of cooperation, investment, climate resilience and sustainable development. For Mauritians, the themes on the table, from rising seas to sustainable growth, touch directly on the daily realities of island life.
Meanwhile, Ramgoolam’s itinerary does not end in the Caribbean. Once the Commonwealth meeting closes, the head of government of the île sœur will travel to Paris on 10 and 11 November 2026, at the invitation of French president Emmanuel Macron. And when that visit is done, another flight awaits: he will head to Phnom Penh in Cambodia to attend the XXe sommet de la Francophonie, held on 15 and 16 November 2026. Three capitals, three multilateral forums, in under three weeks. It is a schedule that shows how a small island state works every available diplomatic channel to make its voice count.
Taken together, the two summits sketch a portrait of a region navigating between competing circles of influence. The Comores, Madagascar and the Seychelles have placed their bets on dialogue with Moscow, sending their president, their transition leader and their foreign minister respectively. Maurice, by contrast, is investing its diplomatic energy in the Commonwealth, in its historic relationship with France, and in the Francophone world. For the citizens of these islands and of the great Red Island, the stakes are the same even if the tables are different: trade, investment, and partnerships that can translate into jobs, development and resilience at home.
Further details on the participation of Madagascar, the Comores and the Seychelles in the third Russie-Afrique summit can be found here: https://la1ere.franceinfo.fr/reunion/madagascar-les-comores-et-les-seychelles-participent-au-3-sommet-russie-afrique-1752705.html
The choice of forum, Moscow, St. John’s, Paris or Phnom Penh, matters less than what each delegation brings home, and in the weeks ahead it is the people of these territories who will judge whether these long diplomatic journeys were worth the airfare.