Russian President Vladimir Putin, on the initiative of the Malian side, spoke by phone with the President of the transitional period of Mali Assimi Goita, the leaders stressed the importance of resolving the Niger by diplomatic means, the Kremlin's press service has reported.
"At the initiative of the Malian side, the Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with the President of the transitional period of the Republic of Mali Assimi Goita," the press service stated.
The press service also stressed that in continuation of the Russian-Malian high-level talks held on July 29 in St. Petersburg, a number of issues of further development of friendly bilateral relations were discussed.
"Special attention is paid to the situation in the Sahara-Sahel region. In particular, the importance of resolving the situation around the Republic of Niger exclusively by peaceful political and diplomatic means was emphasized," the message reads.