The foreign ministers of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) will pay an official visit to Moscow on Thursday and Friday, as part of an initiative aimed at deepening relations between the AES and the Russian Federation, said a joint statement released on Tuesday. This first session of consultations, which brings together the foreign ministers of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger and their Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, is part of the desire of the heads of the AES countries and Russia to expand their collaboration in the political, economic, and security fields, the statement said. Discussions will focus on issues of mutual interest, including regional stability, economic development, and defense, the statement said. The three countries have signed defense agreements and established cooperation relations with Russia in the areas of energy and mining, local media reported.
