Anon. – Final Act of the Berlin “African” Conference signed on 14/26 February 1885

Title

Zakliuchitel’nyi akt Berlinskoi Afrikanskoi konferentsii, priniatyi v zasedanii 14/26 fevralia 1885 goda

Final Act of the Berlin “African” Conference signed on 14/26 February 1885

Keywords

Summary

The Final Act of the Berlin African Conference, held on February 14, 1885, signed by the representatives of major world powers, including the emperors of Russia, Germany, Austria, and the Ottoman Empire, the kings of Belgium, Denmark, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Sweden, the President of the United States, the President of France, and the Queen of the United Kingdom. The conference’s aim was to establish favourable conditions for trade and civilization in parts of Africa, ensure free navigation on the Congo and Niger Rivers, prevent future disputes over African territories, and improve the moral and material well-being of native populations. Key declarations and acts included: Free trade in the Congo River; abolition of the slave trade on land and sea; Neutrality of territories in the Congo basin; Navigation rules for the Congo River, following principles from the Vienna Congress; Navigation rules for the Niger River, also following principles from the Vienna Congress; Uniform international rules for future territorial acquisitions in Africa. All the documents were consolidated into a single final act comprising several articles.

Bio

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Sources

F. Martens, Sobranie traktatov i konventsii, zakliuchennykh Rossiei s inostrannymi derzhavami, VIII, Sankt-Peterburg 1888, p. 695-725.

M.E.