Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held talks with Malian Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop, in Moscow on Feb. 28, where discussions focused on cooperation in the political, trade, economic, and humanitarian aid, the situation in Sahara-Sahel and West Africa region, and their cooperation in the military-technical sphere, reported a Russian ministry press release.
“We agreed to take additional practical steps to expand our trade and economic cooperation. So far, it has been falling short compared to what we have achieved in terms of trust-based political dialogue. We went on to reaffirm our interest in holding a meeting between the corresponding economic agencies in order to explore specific steps we can take to follow up on the two visits by Malian expert delegations to Moscow in 2023. This includes involving Russian companies in specific projects in geological exploration, developing mineral deposits, as well as working together in transport, infrastructure, energy, agriculture, IT and in many other sectors. We have already designated joint projects during our preceding contacts. Today, we want to focus on making sure that these projects can get off the ground as early as this spring,” Lavrov told media at their joint press conference afterward.
