Russia will help Mali in areas where it is possible, without prejudice and mentoring tone, said deputy permanent representative of Russia to the UN, Anna Evstigneeva, who is taking part in the visit of the UN Security Council delegation to West Africa. Her words were disseminated on Sunday by the permanent mission of Russia to the UN.
"There are long bilateral relations between Russia and Mali. We cooperate in many areas. We will continue to help where we can, without any prejudice or mentoring tone. We're ready to cooperate honestly with all partners," she said following meetings in Mali with a delegation of the Security Council.
Evstigneeva also noted that the UN mission, MINUSMA, plays a significant role in stabilizing the situation in the country. "However, more intensive and in-depth consultations with the Malian authorities are needed to increase the effectiveness of UN support," the diplomat added.
"Russia believes that the Malian government's plans to hold a national dialogue to find a political consensus on the country's future must be respected," Evstigneeva pointed out. - "Such an approach would avoid mistakes of the past, including destabilization of the situation after the elections."
A UN Security Council delegation, including Evstigneeva, visited Mali and met with government officials, including transitional president Assimi Goita, as well as signatories to national reconciliation agreements.
Situation around Mali
The African republic has experienced two military coups in the past two years. In the first, on August 18, 2020, the head of state Ibrahim Boubacar Keita was removed from power. A military group appointed Bah Ndaw as interim president. In May of this year, however, he was ousted by the same group and replaced by vice president Goita, in accordance with a Constitutional court ruling. The new leadership reaffirmed the authorities' September 2020 commitments to hold presidential and parliamentary elections in February 2022.
However, in September, interim prime minister Choguel Kokalla Maiga announced that the electoral process could be postponed to a later date. He stressed that the National constituent assembly, to be convened in late October and scheduled to conclude its work on December 26 this year, would make a decision on the matter.
Russia has voiced its support for the country's new government. Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov reported earlier that the Malian authorities had asked a Russian private military company for help in combating terrorism. Against this background, a number of Western countries, primarily France, began accusing Russia of asserting its influence in West Africa with the help of "mercenaries" allegedly linked to the state.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Creative Commons
Based on materials from TASS