MOSCOW: Russia will continue to provide military aid to Mali through state channels, the RIA news agency reported on Monday, citing a senior Russian diplomat who said Bamako had denied the presence of Russian mercenaries.
France, Canada and 13 European countries slammed Moscow last week for facilitating the alleged deployment of private military contractors from the Russia-backed Wagner Group in Mali, where the government is battling an Islamist insurgency.
Mali’s government on Saturday denied the presence of Russian mercenaries, but said “Russian trainers” were there as part of a bilateral agreement between Mali and Russia.
A cargo plane carried four helicopters, arms and ammunition from Russia to Mali in October in what the Mali government said was a commercial deal with the Russian state.
The RIA on Monday quoted Pyotr Ilyichev, director of the Department of International Organizations of the Russian Foreign Ministry, as saying that Bamako had the right to cooperate with any partner in its fight with terrorists.
“We will continue to defend Bamako’s legitimate interests at the United Nations (UN) and provide active assistance to our Malian partners in the military and military-technical fields through state channels,” Ilyichev was quoted as saying.
President Vladimir Putin has said that the Wagner Group does not represent the Russian state, but that private military contractors have the right to work anywhere in the world, as long as they do not break Russian law.
Ilyichev was quoted as saying that the withdrawal of France from military bases in Mali had the potential to destabilize the region. Paris has previously denied suggestions that he is leaving Mali.
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