Russia Becomes First Country to Recognize Alliance of Sahel States — Mali’s Top Diplomat
"We pointed out that we have common approaches, a common vision of certain problems in the field of security, peace, international and political issues," Abdoulaye Diop emphasized
Russia has become the first country to recognize the Alliance of Sahel States, Malian Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop said following talks between representatives of the Alliance of Sahel States and top Russian diplomat Sergey Lavrov.
“Russia is not only our partner, but also a permanent ally that we can trust. Russia has been helping us since the first days of our struggle for independence. Our presence in Moscow today shows that Russia is the first country to recognize the Sahel confederation,” he said.
“We pointed out that we have common approaches, a common vision of certain problems in the field of security, peace, international and political issues,” Diop emphasized.
On September 6, 2023, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger decided to establish the Alliance of Sahel States in order to create “an African space of sovereignty in security, politics, geostrategy and economy.” Thus, these countries decided to take it upon themselves to solve regional problems. On July 6, 2024, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger announced the official creation of the Alliance of Sahel States to deepen cooperation and integration. Then, on January 28, 2024, the three countries announced a joint decision to withdraw from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which they considered to be “under the influence of foreign powers and becoming a threat to the member states and their peoples.”
Russia has always wielded great influence in the Sahel region and voiced support for the Alliance of Sahel States. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has repeatedly emphasized that Moscow is ready to continue assisting the Sahel countries in solving existing regional problems based on the idea “African problems – African solutions.”
The Alliance of Sahel States subsequently announced the creation of a joint force to counter terrorism. Russia’s permanent representative to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya, noted that Moscow welcomed the decision and that the alliance countries were already “successfully conducting joint raids against militant strongholds.
