The countries of the Alliance of Sahel States have lodged a "very clear and very simple" complaint before the UN Security Council that Ukraine, a UN member state, is openly supporting terrorist groups in the region, but the UN "has not even acknowledged receiving the complaint," Abdoulaye Diop, Malian Minister of Foreign Affairs, told Sputnik Africa on the sidelines of the first ministerial conference of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum in Russia's Sochi.
"We know that Russia supports our approach. We haven't heard from anyone. So what does this mean? I think I'll ask you again, is the so-called international community working for peace and stability, or is it a policy of double standards?" the minister questioned in an exclusive interview.
Diop stressed that the AES countries "must take their destiny into their own hands and do what is necessary to ensure our security."
He also expressed skepticism about countries claiming to support Mali's fight against terrorism while backing destabilizing forces.
"A country can't help you fight terrorism if it supports terrorist groups. So, this too must be made very clear," the minister stated.
He also pointed to Libya's destabilization as the root cause of many issues in the Sahel, noting that a country “that has its hand in the problems created since the destabilization of Libya” can't be an ally.
"We need to know what we're fighting," the foreign minister added.
Speaking of the neocolonialism, Diop stressed that in this context, the partnership with Russia, which works for the advent of a multipolar world, will allow Bamako "to provide answers to the imbalances that there are today in the world, which do not even allow our countries to develop."
"The economic system, colonial or neocolonial, does not allow our countries to be able to transform their raw materials, including minerals, to have control of our resources," the minister stated.
Diop also highlighted Russian military support, which helps the AES countries defend their sovereignty and integrity.
"Russia is our partner because its support allows us to have military capabilities that enable our national armies in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger to defend our sovereignty and preserve the territorial integrity of our countries," he said.
This security cooperation between Moscow and the Alliance of Sahel States "is going well, and we think it will continue," he added.
Mali welcomes all the countries that respect its sovereignty and are willing to work with it, the foreign minister also noted.
The top diplomat emphasized that Mali and Russia cooperate in various areas.
"We are working in energy, in mining, in agriculture, in technology, through satellites," Diop said, highlighting the need to develop the economic partnership with Moscow.
Mali is in Sochi to "really promote this economic and commercial partnership," to further strengthen security cooperation, as well as "political partnership regionally, but also globally," he concluded.