UNGA 77: Lavrov Discusses Bilateral Cooperation With UAE, Malian Foreign Ministers

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has met with United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Malian Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop on the margins of the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Friday.

According to the ministry, Lavrov and Al Nahyan have discussed the development of Russian-Emirati cooperation, as well as confirmed the joint intention of Moscow and Abu Dhabi to strengthen bilateral relations with "mutually beneficial cooperation" in trade, economy, investment, and energy.

During the meeting with Diop, the sides discussed issues of Russian-Malian cooperation and the problems of countering the terrorist threat in the Sahel region.

The Russian side has reiterated its intention to continue participating in collective efforts toward a settlement in Mali, including within the United Nations and the UN Security Council.

In May 2021, the Malian armed forces led by then-Vice President Assimi Goita removed interim President Bah Ndaw and acting Prime Minister Moctar Ouane from office after accusing them of breaking transition rules. A military council took control of the country and announced its intention to hold presidential and parliamentary elections in 2022. In June 2021, the Constitutional Court of Mali declared Goita the interim president.

In July 2022, the authorities of Mali made the decision to suspend the rotation of the military in the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), including those already announced and planned. The decision was made against the background of the detention of 49 soldiers from the Ivory Coast, who, according to the Ivorian authorities, arrived as part of a UN mission. Malian authorities said that the soldiers were allegedly mercenaries and planned a coup. In early September, three women from the detained military were released.