ialogue between Russia and the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), formed by Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, is developing intensively, and Russia expects the leaders of these nations to participate in the Russia-Africa summit this October, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.
“We see that the dialogue between Russia and the alliance is developing intensively. The consultations held on July 8 in Niamey, the capital of Niger, were very productive . I would like to thank our friends from Niger once again for their hospitality and excellent organization. I am confident that today we will continue to examine the prospects and areas of cooperation we have previously discussed, many of which have already achieved tangible results. However, more work remains to be done,” Lavrov said at a meeting with the AES foreign ministers on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on Thursday.
Lavrov expressed confidence that the meeting would provide an opportunity to discuss preparations for the third Russia-Africa summit, scheduled to take place in Moscow on October 28–29.
“We look forward to welcoming your leaders to the summit,” he noted.