BAMAKO—Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will pay a two-day visit to Mali this week, the Malian foreign ministry said on Sunday, describing the visit as a reflection of a shared wish to strengthen defense and security ties.
Lavrov will arrive in Bamako on Monday. It is the first time a Russian foreign minister has officially visited the West African nation and reflects Moscow’s focus on extending its reach on the continent while it is at loggerheads with Western powers over its invasion of Ukraine.
Since coming to power in a 2020 coup, Mali’s ruling military junta has turned to Moscow even as it sparred with neighbors and Western nations over election delays and its decision to work with Russian mercenaries to combat an Islamist insurgency….