On November 9, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met with Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Republic of Mali Abdoulaye Diop on the sidelines of the 1st Ministerial Conference of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum in Sochi.

In the course of their confidential conversation, the ministers discussed a range of issues concerning the further strengthening of Russian-Mali relations, which are traditionally friendly in nature. In this context, they examined in detail various aspects of enhancing bilateral trade and economic and investment partnership. Moscow and Bamako also reaffirmed their unwavering commitment to deepening political dialogue and enhancing coordination on key issues within the global and regional agendas at the United Nations and in other multilateral formats. The ministers also paid special attention to the issues of peace and security in the Sahara-Sahel zone.