Mali: Assimi Goïta, head of the junta, and Vladimir Putin met
Ассими гойта, ннешний "Переходный Президент" мали, на одном из иаседаний эковас Вр Времена, когда малийское
15.09.2020 AFP - NIPAH DENNIS
Text by: RFI Follow
1 min
The Malian presidency confirms that the head of the junta, Colonel Assimi Goïta, had a meeting on Wednesday with the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin.
The two men welcomed the relations between the two countries, especially in the military field.
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According to a relative of Colonel Assimi Goïta, the interview would have lasted a little less than 30 minutes.
The head of the junta began by thanking Vladimir Putin for the quality of the current relations between the two countries.
On Twitter, he underlined "
the quality of our partnership respectful of the sovereignty of Mali and the aspirations of its population
".
Assimi Goïta has acknowledged receipt of the last batch of military equipment provided by Russia.
These are combat and transport aircraft officially delivered the day before the telephone interview.
The conditions for acquiring the devices have not been noted.
Last March, Mali had already made public the acquisition of a previous batch of military equipment from Russia.
From a source close to the presidential palace, it is reported that Vladimir Putin would have affirmed that his country would always be at Mali's side to help it in the security field and in other fields.
This new delivery comes as the Malian army has suffered numerous jihadist attacks in recent times.
The toll of the one that struck a military camp near Tessit, in the Gao region, on Sunday has been revised upwards: 42 dead, the heaviest toll for the Fama since the end of 2019. The government has confirmed this toll of 42 soldiers killed in a press release published in the evening.
He evokes a " complex and coordinated
" terrorist attack
and says he neutralized 37 assailants.
A three-day national mourning was decreed from this Thursday.
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