Russia's Lavrov Says Unacceptable France Dictates To Mali With Whom To Cooperate

Faizan Hashmi Published May 20, 2022 | 08:35 PM

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Friday described as unacceptable France's attempts to dictate to Mali with whom the country is allowed to cooperate

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 20th May, 2022) Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Friday described as unacceptable France's attempts to dictate to Mali with whom the country is allowed to cooperate.

"Our French colleagues are now trying to dictate to Mali with whom it (Mali) is allowed to communicate and with whom it is forbidden. This is unacceptable and does not go well with neither the French Republic nor French manners," Lavrov told a joint press conference after a meeting with Malian Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop.

The Russian minister urged Western counterparts to negotiate in the spirit of mutual respect.

"We are ready to discuss any international affairs with our Western colleagues - the French and others. However, under one condition: we will do so in a civilized manner, based on respect for each other's interests, and, most importantly, based on respect for each region and nation to choose their partners freely, without any dictate," Lavrov said referring to the French-Malian relations.

The relations between France and Mali soured due to disagreements of Paris with the African nation's transitional government, which came to power as a result of a military takeover. On February 17, 2022, France and its allies, which founded the French-led military task force Takuba in 2014 to advise and assist the Malian military in their fight against terrorism in the Sahel, began a joint troop pullout from Mali.

Earlier in May, the Malian transitional authorities announced their decision to break off the defense cooperation with France. Paris, in turn, considered the unilateral decision of the Malian authorities to be unfounded.

The Malian authorities have also accused France of involvement in the mass killings of locals after unearthing a burial site near a former French base. Earlier on Tuesday, the ruling Malian military bloc accused "a Western nation" of an attempted coup.