MOSCOW, September 22 Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia Sergei Lavrov discussed strengthening ties and the situation in Niger with his colleague from Mali Abdoulaye Diop, the Russian Foreign Ministry reported.
«»The heads of foreign affairs departments discussed current issues of further strengthening the traditionally friendly Russian-Malian relations, and held an interested exchange of views on the situation in the Sahara-Sahel region, including events in the Republic of Niger,» the statement said.
The minister, during the meeting, which took place on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, also confirmed Moscow’s intention to continue to assist in the stabilization of Mali, including at the UN site, the department noted.
The military in Mali on May 24, 2021 arrested interim President Ba Ndau and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane and transported them to the Kati army base near the capital Bamako. Vice President Assimi Goita then announced that he had relieved the president and prime minister of their duties for violating the transition period charter. A military council led by Goita took control of the country and announced its intention to hold presidential and parliamentary elections in 2022, but the authorities then decided to postpone the elections to a later date for security reasons.
At the end of July, the Niger military, in a speech on national television, announced that President Mohamed Bazoum had been removed, the borders were closed, and a curfew had been declared. The commander of the presidential guard, General Abdurahman Tchiani, appeared on Niger state TV as the head of the National Council for the Defense of the Fatherland, formed by the coup participants.
Mali and Niger, along with Burkina Faso, where there was also a coup in September 2022, previously signed a charter establishing an alliance of Sahel states to “create a collective defense architecture.”