MojNews- Russian President Vladimir Putin has invited the leaders of all African countries to a major Russia-Africa summit , according to the Kremlin on Thursday.

The event is scheduled to be held in the coastal resort city of Sochi on Oct. 24 under co-presidency of Putin and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi , who also heads the African Union , the Kremlin said in a statement.

"This is the first event of this level in the history of Russian-African relations, with the heads of all states of the African continent invited, as well as leaders of major sub-regional associations and organizations", the statement said.

It said the forum's purpose is to expand Russian-African cooperation in a number of areas -- including political, economic, technical and cultural.

At the end of the meeting, the participants are expected to adopt a political declaration on the key areas of Russian-African cooperation.