Russia and Mali to boost trade and joint research
Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Mali’s transitional president, Colonel Assimi Goita, in Moscow on Monday and signed three agreements, including a treaty on an intergovernmental commission for trade and scientific cooperation.
The documents will “undoubtedly fortify the legal framework” of cooperation between Russia and the West African country, Putin noted.
The two other treaties are dedicated to the fundamentals of bilateral relations and the peaceful use of nuclear energy.
“Our countries have maintained good and trust-based relations over many years. We established diplomatic relations 65 years ago and have continued to cooperate ever since. Over that time, more than 10,000 specialists from your country have been trained in Russia,” Putin said.
Bamako is seeing tangible progress thanks to its “well-established” partnership with Russia across key sectors such as transport, security, culture, and energy, the Malian president told Putin.
“Today, we acknowledge that we have good cooperation with the Russian Federation…We are achieving positive results. All of this demonstrates the effectiveness and trust between our countries,” Goita stated.
The Malian military leader arrived in Moscow on Sunday for a five-day official visit. Ahead of his meeting with President Putin on Monday, he paid his respects at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier by laying a wreath to honor fallen Soviet troops.
Mali is one of the founding members of the Alliance of Sahel States, alongside Niger and Burkina Faso – countries that have increasingly turned to Russia for support in combating terrorist groups that have destabilized the region for more than a decade. Bamako, Niamey, and Ouagadougou have all cut defense ties with France, accusing their former colonial metropole of hostility and failure to contain the jihadist insurgency despite a decade-long military mission.
On Monday, Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov held talks with his Malian counterpart, Sadio Camara, and agreed to strengthen cooperation, primarily in the military and military-technical fields, with the goal of enhancing security and sovereignty.
