The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is ready for a mutually beneficial partnership with Russia and is currently looking for a partnership that would benefit and unite the bloc, President of the ECOWAS Commission Omar Alieu Touray told Sputnik.
"I think, there are a number of areas ECOWAS has been cooperating with many partners on. And, I am sure that when we sit around the table with the Russian friends we should be able to identify areas which would benefit all of us ... We are looking for partnership that would help us develop, that would unite us," Touray said.
In late January, Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali announced their withdrawal from ECOWAS. They called the bloc a "threat" to its member states and criticized it for imposing "illegal, illegitimate, inhumane and irresponsible" sanctions on the three countries.
The three West African nations were targeted with sanctions by ECOWAS after it demanded the restoration of civilian governments following coups in Mali in 2020, Burkina Faso in 2022, and Niger in 2023.
In September 2023, the leaders of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger signed a charter establishing the Alliance of Sahel States to create "a collective defense architecture." According to the document, an attack on the sovereignty or territorial integrity of one or more parties to the charter will be regarded as aggression against the other parties and will require their assistance, including the use of military force.