Russia and Angola: The Rebirth of a Strategic Partnership?

The document analyzes the evolution of Russia-Angola relations from the Cold War era to 2013, noting a strong political and military bond that has not yet translated into significant bilateral trade. While state-owned enterprises like ALROSA and VTB have found success, Russian SMEs face high barriers to entry in Angola. The authors argue that both nations must institutionalize their cooperation and diversify economic ties beyond hydrocarbons to achieve a fully-fledged strategic partnership.

• Russia maintains significant 'soft power' and political capital in Angola due to its historical support for the MPLA during the liberation struggle and civil war, which has resulted in many high-level Angolan cadres being educated in Soviet/Russian universities.
• Defence is the most stable dimension of current cooperation, with Angola remaining technically dependent on Russia for the maintenance and upgrading of its military equipment.
• Bilateral trade between Russia and Angola is negligible and erratic, with Russia ranking 27th among Angola's top-50 trade partners in 2011, totaling approximately $36 million (EUR 25 million).
• The lack of trade complementarity is a primary obstacle, as both nations are major hydrocarbons exporters, meaning Angola produces few goods of interest to Russia.
• Russian state-owned enterprises (SOEs) have achieved more success in Angola than private firms, specifically VTB in banking and ALROSA in the diamond sector via the Catoca project.
• Russian small and medium enterprises (SMEs) face severe barriers in Angola, including a difficult business environment, high transaction costs, language barriers (Portuguese), and a lack of political and financial support from Moscow.
• A major recent cooperation project is the ANGOSAT satellite, funded by a $327 million Russian credit line, intended to revolutionize Angola's telecommunications sector.
• Civil society and cultural links between the two countries are limited and sporadic, hindered by geographic distance, language barriers, and a lack of public diplomacy.
• Angola's economy is heavily dependent on oil, which accounted for 98% of exports in 2011, prompting the government to prioritize diversification into agriculture, construction, and mining.

APA

Alves, A. C., Arkhangelskaya, A., & Shubin, V. (2013). Russia and Angola: The Rebirth of a Strategic Partnership? South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Occasional-Paper-154.pdf

Chicago

Alves, Ana Cristina, Alexandra Arkhangelskaya, and Vladimir Shubin. Russia and Angola: The Rebirth of a Strategic Partnership? South African Institute of International Affairs, 2013. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Occasional-Paper-154.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Alves |first1=Ana Cristina |last2=Arkhangelskaya |first2=Alexandra |last3=Shubin |first3=Vladimir |title=Russia and Angola: The Rebirth of a Strategic Partnership? |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=October 2013 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Occasional-Paper-154.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{alves2013russia, author = {Alves, Ana Cristina and Arkhangelskaya, Alexandra and Shubin, Vladimir}, title = {{Russia and Angola: The Rebirth of a Strategic Partnership?}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2013}, month = oct, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Occasional-Paper-154.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }