Lavrov pointed to the exclusive competence of the Malian authorities in the issue of deployment of PMCs
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, following negotiations with his Malian counterpart Abdoulaye Diop, said that the work of private military companies is solely within the competence of the local government.
According to him, the Russian authorities have nothing to do with the activities of PMCs, which independently conclude contracts. Moscow helps Bamako exclusively with military training.
“If these contracts are concluded with legitimate governments of sovereign states, then I don’t understand what can be seen as negative here,” Sergei Lavrov emphasized.
The head of the Russian Foreign Ministry explained that the market for services provided by private military companies has long been created and developed by Western countries, including the USA and France. At the same time, Abdoulaye Diop called Paris’s claims against Bamako regarding dialogue with Moscow groundless.
“The relationship between Mali and Russia is a partnership, and Mali will not allow any state to tell us with whom we have the right to communicate and with whom we do not. We have the right to determine our own destiny, we have the right to cooperate with any state,” added the West African minister.
According to him, the country protects the interests of the local population, so the government is not concerned about cooperation with PMCs, but about the security of national territories.
“We understand that the Malian authorities must be able to make their own decisions. This is our right, our responsibility. Our main concern is ensuring the security of our territory,” concluded Abdoulaye Diop.
Earlier, the Russian Foreign Ministry officially confirmed that Bamako and Wagner PMCs signed an agreement, so Russian citizens arrived in Mali and began training Malian army personnel.
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