Media reports about Russian instructors in Mali are a disinformation campaign, the prime minister of the transitional government of Mali Shogel Kokalla Maiga told RIA Novosti.
The day before, the French military said it had found no evidence of the presence of the Wagner private military company in Mali.
"You know, there's a lot of talk in the West about Mali and Russian cooperation, a lot of made up, a lot of articles in the media, but all oriented negatively. What I want to say is that Mali and Russia, long ago, back in the days of the Soviet Union, were great friends. The Soviet Union, and then Russia, was a friend of Mali, which helped Mali in the early years of independence. A lot of staff was formed in Russia. Both military and civilian in various fields," he said.
He said the country's independence gives it the right to cooperate with any state in the interests of its people.
"That's our only goal. But if you look at it, there has been a big campaign in the media in recent weeks, a diplomatic campaign against the Malian state. But we don't pay attention to these accusations. We are working for the interests of our people," he stressed.
The prime minister stressed that this campaign is aimed at blackmailing Mali, in order to stop the country's cooperation with Russia.
"This is blackmail that cannot weaken our intention to defend our territory, our country. This blackmail will not be a reason to stop cooperating with reliable partners like Russia," the prime minister added.
The Kremlin has previously 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, presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov replied that Moscow maintains contacts, including military ones, with many countries, including states of the African continent. Peskov was commenting on reports in the Western media, citing anonymous sources who claimed that the authorities of Mali were allegedly in contact with the Wagner PMC.
The United Nations Multidimensional integrated stabilization mission in Mali (MINUSMA), established by the Security Council resolution of April 25, 2013, operates in Mali. It is responsible for the protection of civilians, respect for human rights, and the creation of conditions for the provision of humanitarian assistance. In December 2012, the UN Security Council authorized the deployment of 3,300 troops from the African mission in Mali (AFISMA). In 2013, the European Union sent a training mission (EUTM Mali) to train Malian army units and provide advice.
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Based on materials from RIA Novosti