Authorities of Mali have every right to cooperate with any partners to fight terrorists in the country, said Pyotr Ilyichev, Director of International Organizations Department of RF MFA, in an interview with RIA Novosti.
He noted that France's gradual winding down of Operation Barkhane and the withdrawal of the French military from Mali could provoke a surge in terrorist activity, while countries in the region hardly have the capacity to cope with the emerging threats.
"Under these conditions, Mali, as well as other Sahara-Sahelian states, has every right to cooperate with any other partners to fight extremists. Attempts to influence the decision of a sovereign state through blatant blackmail and threats are a manifestation of neocolonialism in its purest form," Ilyichev said.
"We believe that the fight against international terrorism in Africa is a common task for all extra-regional players. In this context, abstract arguments about traditional spheres of influence of individual states look simply inappropriate," the high-ranking diplomat added.
On November 12, Sergey Lavrov, Russian Foreign Minister, stated that accusations against Russia for sending mercenaries to Mali are groundless. According to Lavrov, Moscow explained to its French partners its military cooperation with Mali. In an interview with RIA Novosti, Abdoulaye Diop, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Mali, also stated that the anti-Russian media campaign about the work of private security companies from Russia in Mali was aimed at disrupting cooperation between the two countries.
Moscow has repeatedly denied claims about the Russian military presence in various African countries. The Kremlin, in particular, stated that there are no representatives of the Russian armed forces on the territory of Mali. When asked whether the defense minister of Mali had raised the issue of military assistance during his visit to Russia, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov replied that Moscow maintains contacts, including through the military, with many countries, including states on the African continent. Peskov was commenting on reports in the Western media referring to anonymous sources who claimed that the Malian authorities were allegedly in contact with the Wagner PMC.
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Based on materials from RIA Novosti