Russia has kicked off the first ministerial conference of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum in Sochi to strengthen ties with African nations and shake off the perception of isolation due to Western sanctions.

This conference builds upon last summer’s Russia-Africa summit, where President Vladimir Putin wooed African leaders with promises of expanded political and business collaborations.

The two-day conference has brought together government and business leaders from Russia and Africa, marking the beginning of a regular series of meetings. According to Anton Kobyakov, an adviser to Putin, this format will continue to foster cooperation between the two regions.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova was quoted as saying by Russian state news agency RIA Novosti that the conference “dashed dirty hopes” for Russia’s isolation.

Zakharova said that dozens of bilateral meetings were taking place between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and African representatives, hailing the “multipolarity” demonstrated by the event.

Lavrov is due to speak at the plenary session on Sunday.