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3 Apr, 13:09

Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso to create joint counterterrorism force — Mali foreign minister

Abdoulaye Diop called defense, security, diplomacy and development the main pillars of the confederation

MOSCOW, April 3. /TASS/. Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso intend to create a joint counterterrorism force to fight terrorist groups in the region, said Malian Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop following talks between representatives of the Sahel States Alliance (SSA) and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

"We have achieved satisfactory results in our fight against terrorist groups in our three countries. And today our main goal is to create a united Sahel confederation force to combat the terrorist threat," the minister said.

He called defense, security, diplomacy and development the main pillars of the confederation, and also stressed that the alliance views Russia as a "strategic partner."