MOSCOW, Jan 4 French criticism of possible cooperation of the Malian authorities with a private Russian security company is not constructive, it is a reaction to something that does not yet exist, Vsevolod Tkachenko, director of the Africa Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry, said in an interview with RIA Novosti. “We believe that criticism should be substantive and rely on reliable facts or evidence. The French reaction to the potential relationship of the Malian authorities with Russian private companies providing security services is somewhat hypertrophied. Moreover, this is a reaction to something that does not yet exist. In our opinion, this is not the most constructive approach, «Tkachenko said. 
The Foreign Ministry told what the withdrawal of the French military from Mali will lead to, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said earlier that the accusations to Russia on sending mercenaries to Mali are groundless. According to him, Moscow has explained to its French colleagues what cooperation it has with Mali in the military sphere. In an interview with RIA Novosti, Mali Foreign Minister Abdoulay Diop also stated that the anti-Russian media campaign about the work of private security companies from the Russian Federation in Mali is aimed at disrupting cooperation between the two countries. Moscow has repeatedly denied allegations of the military presence of the Russian Federation in various African countries, in particular, the Kremlin stated that there were no representatives of the Russian armed forces on the territory of Mali. When asked whether the Mali Defense Minister raised the issue of military assistance during his visit to Russia, the press secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov replied that Moscow maintains contacts, including through the military, with many countries, including the states of the African continent. In addition, Moscow has repeatedly stated that the country's authorities have nothing to do with the work of private security companies.
