Putin holds phone talk with Mali’s Assimi Goita

Russian President Vladimir Putin held Tuesday October 10 a telephone conversation with Mali’s interim President for the transitional period Assimi Goita, with talks focusing on the strengthening of economic ties and security cooperation.

“At the initiative of the Malian side, Russian President Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with the President of the transitional period of the Republic of Mali Assimi Goita. The course of implementation of the agreements reached at the talks between Vladimir Putin and Assimi Goita within the framework of the second Russia-Africa Summit in July 2023 was discussed”, Putin’s office said in a statement.

The Kremlin also indicated that the two leaders discussed the mutual commitment to further strengthening trade and economic ties, as well as security cooperation and the fight against terrorism.

Goita seized power in 2021 in a military coup. Under his rule, Mali has tilted towards Russia at the expense of former colonial power France.

Ties between Mali and France have since been severed. Russia has become the leading security and defense partner of Mali which has been struggling with Tuareg rebels and terrorist groups operating in the north, near the joint border with Burkina Faso and Niger.

Goita in September 2023 received a Russian Defense delegation led by the Deputy Minister Yunous-Bek Evkourov. Talks then focused on strengthening cooperation ties in defense and security between the two countries, as well as the security situation in the Sahel.