CSS Ministers Head to Moscow for Strategic Consultations with Russia

The foreign ministers of the Confederation of Sahel States (CSS), comprising Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, are set to visit Moscow for the first session of CSS-Russia consultations. This high-level meeting, taking place on April 3-4 at the invitation of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, marks a significant step in strengthening ties between CSS and Russia.

The discussions will focus on deepening political, economic, and security cooperation between the two parties. CSS and Russia have shared a commitment to building a strategic, pragmatic, and mutually supportive partnership to address the peoples’ aspirations within the CSS region.

This visit is part of the roadmap for the first year of the CSS under Mali’s presidency. It aims to solidify cooperation in key areas of common interest, reinforcing the growing alliance between the Sahel bloc and Russia amid shifting geopolitical dynamics.

It will be recalled that the President of the Transition in Mali, General Assimi Goïta, held a high-level meeting on Tuesday, March 4, 2025, with a Russian delegation led by Deputy Minister of Defense Younous-Bek Evkurov.

In December 2024, Fousseynou Ouattara, vice president of the Defence and Security Commission of Mali’s Transitional Council, revealed that the military cooperation between the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) and Russia had delivered tangible results in 2024. Speaking to Sputnik Africa, he noted that the partnership had strengthened the armies of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso in their fight against terrorism.

Mali under Goïta also recently reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening military cooperation with Senegal, particularly in the fight against terrorism and cross-border crime, despite Mali’s recent withdrawal from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

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