Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov visited the capital of Mali, Bamako, on Tuesday, where he guaranteed «the necessary support» for the African country to expand the defensive capabilities of its Armed Forces.
«We will continue to provide the necessary support to our bilateral friends (…) to solve the problem of increasing the combat capabilities of the Malian Armed Forces, training military personnel and law enforcement,» he has said.
Thus, the head of the Russian diplomacy assured that Moscow will thus expand its cooperation with Mali also in the economic, trade and humanitarian assistance fields, according to TASS news agency.
In the military sphere, Lavrov stressed that Moscow and Bamako are planning new «additional steps» in the supply of weapons and military equipment, as well as in the training of the Malian military.
In this regard, the head of Russian diplomacy stressed that Mali is «one of the most prepared and effective states» as far as the Air Force is concerned, although he highlighted the «very important deliveries» recently provided by Moscow.
«During the last few months we have made very important deliveries of aviation equipment that have significantly increased the capacity of the Malian Armed and Security Forces to eradicate the terrorist threat,» he concluded.
On the other hand, Lavrov took advantage of his trip to Bamako to invite his Malian counterpart, Abdoulaye Diop, to pay a visit to Moscow and «continue communication» between the two nations. «In any case, we will have to prepare for the Russia-Africa summit, so I hope to meet soon,» he added.
CRITICISM OF THE EU Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, some of the leading voices in the European Union have expressed concern over Russia’s growing influence on the African continent, especially in Mali, which has demanded the departure of European military personnel as its military junta moves closer to Moscow.
In this regard, Lavrov took the opportunity to lash out at the European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Policy, Josep Borrell, whom he accused of «not knowing how to hide the racist essence of his vision of the world».
Likewise, the Russian diplomatic representative regretted that the main European powers show their «neo-colonial instincts» when talking about Africa and criticize their growing collaboration with Russia.
«We have nothing to hide and nothing to be ashamed of either. We were at the origins of Africa’s liberation from the colonial yoke,» Lavrov said, assuring that Moscow will defend the African continent from «growing attempts to reintroduce colonial measures.»
In recent months the United Kingdom, Germany and France have withdrawn their troops in Mali, in the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), due to the coups d’état in Mali and the alignment of the authorities with the Wagner Group, an organization of Russian mercenaries.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
