Mali Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop, accompanied by the Ministers of Transport and Infrastructure, Economy and Finance, and Mines, Energy and Water, traveled to Russia last week to discuss much-needed economic cooperation. “Mali is serious about pursuing specific agreements,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov noted after meeting with Diop on Friday, May 20. The focus of attention was “on the practical aspects of organizing the delivery of Russian wheat, mineral fertilizers and petrochemicals which Mali badly needs amid the illegitimate Western sanctions,” but ways of expanding trade and “practical cooperation in promising areas such as mining, geological exploration, energy, infrastructure, agriculture and internet technologies” were also discussed in detail.
French and European Union representatives claim Africa is “theirs,” and tell Russia to stay out, Lavrov replied to a questioning reporter at his joint press conference with Diop in Moscow. But Moscow does not accept this.
“We understand, but do not really like France or other EU countries’ attempts to claim dominance in a particular region.… I met with French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and current High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell during the UN General Assembly session held in New York in September 2021. Both of them expressed, in a rather tense manner, their concern about Russia expanding contacts with Africa, in particular, Mali. They laid out their position in a rather colonial manner: Africa is the EU’s area of responsibility, influence and interests.
