Moscow strongly condemns the attempt to assassinate Assimi Goita, President of Mali's transition period, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a briefing on Thursday.
The diplomat pointed out that Russia continues to closely follow developments in the republic. "Moscow strongly condemns the attempts to assassinate the leader of the Malian state. We support Bamako's determination to take all necessary measures to identify the persons involved in the crime, to detain them and bring them to justice. We regard what happened as another attempt by destructive forces to hinder the progress of the internal political process in Mali under the auspices of the transitional authorities of this country," she said.
"We also express hope that the Malian leadership will be able to implement the outlined plans to consolidate society and hold general democratic elections with the assistance of ECOWAS and African Union on February 27, 2022", added the Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson.
According to her, Russia will continue to take a constructive part in international efforts to stabilize the situation in Mali including in its capacity of a permanent member of the UN Security Council. Zakharova also said that the Russian side intends to continue providing comprehensive support to Bamako on a bilateral basis.
The attack on Goita happened on July 20 at a mosque in Bamako on the day of celebration of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha. The perpetrator was detained and the head of Mali was not injured.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Russian Foreign Ministry
Based on materials from TASS