Sub-Saharan Africa
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Mali Would Like to Use Russia's Mir Cards, Malian Official Says

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Mir payment system cards are now accepted by partner banks in Abkhazia, Armenia, Belarus, Vietnam, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, South Korea and South Ossetia. Other countries, including Egypt, Nigeria and Ethiopia, are also showing interest in connecting the Mir cards to their systems.
Sputnik
Mali would like to use cards of Russia's Mir payment system, Bamako wants to develop the already achieved level of cooperation with Russia, Badra Alou Coulibaly, General Controller of Mali's Public Services, told Sputnik.
"We are certainly looking forward to this. We want this because cooperation between our countries has already reached a significant level. We want to develop it," Coulibaly said in response to a relevant question.
At the end of January, Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso announced their withdrawal from the Economic Community of West African States. The three countries also announced the formation of a military pact, the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).