Russia and Mali will intensify practical cooperation to supply Russian food, fertilizers and fuel to the country. This was reported on Wednesday by the Kremlin press service following a telephone conversation between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Malian President Assimi Goita.
"They discussed issues of further development of bilateral cooperation in trade, economic and other areas. In particular, the parties touched on the topic of possible supplies of Russian food, fertilizers and fuel to Mali. It has been agreed that the relevant Russian and Malian departments will activate practical cooperation," said the Kremlin.
Goita expressed gratitude to Putin for the multifaceted support from the Russian side. The leaders expressed satisfaction with the level of cooperation of Russia and Mali in foreign policy including the way the UN agencies coordinate their efforts.
For his part, the Russian president expressed hope that the planned Russia-Africa summit in St. Petersburg in 2023 will contribute to strengthening the traditionally friendly relations of our country with all states of the African continent.
Situation in Mali
During the talk, Goita gave a detailed description of processes taking place in Mali and informed the Russian leader about the efforts of the country's leadership to stabilize the situation and uncompromising fight against terrorist groups.
Mali has faced two military coups since the summer of 2020. In the first, which happened on August 18, 2020, President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita was ousted from power. A military group led by Colonel Assimi Goita appointed Bah Ndaw as interim president. However, on May 26, 2021, he was ousted by the same military group. The Constitutional Court of Mali ruled that Goita was appointed head of State for a transitional period.
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Photo: official website of the President of the Russian Federation
Based on materials from TASS