Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov will meet with his counterparts from the Alliance of Sahel States countries on Thursday.
The top diplomats from West Africa will visit Moscow for a two-day trip at the invitation of Lavrov to participate in the first round of AES-Russia consultations, according to the Malian Foreign Ministry.
"This meeting is part of a shared aspiration by the heads of state of the Confederation of Sahel States and the Russian Federation to expand their partnership and political dialogue to a confederal level and place them at the center of their diplomatic and defense agenda, in order to meet the profound aspirations of the CSS peoples," the ministry stated.