Directly after his visit to Iraq on Monday, the head of Russian diplomacy, Sergei Lavrov was welcomed in Mali by his counterpart Abdoulaye Diop.
This visit aims to strengthen the high-level political dialogue between the Republic of Mali and the Russian Federation, and to consolidate a win-win strategic partnership between the two countries, the Malian Foreign Ministry said in a note.
According to the same source, this is the first visit of its kind aimed at initiating a new dynamic of economic and security cooperation between the two countries, as several Malian officials have already visited Moscow.
In terms of security cooperation, Mali expects Moscow’s help in the fight against jihadists active in Mali despite years of fighting.
For its part, the Russian ministry welcomed the friendly relations that have linked Russia and Mali since the time of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). These relations have been described as qualitatively better in our time.
The same source mentioned the existence of an “intensive political dialogue” aimed at extending cooperation to other areas of trade, agriculture, humanitarian aid, infrastructure, and the fight against terrorism.