UNITED NATIONS, September 25. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met with Malian Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop on the sidelines of the High-Level Week of the 81st Session of the UN General Assembly, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

Before the meeting, the ministers warmly greeted one another and exchanged jokes.

The talks continued behind closed doors.

"During an exchange of views on key global and regional issues, the Sides reaffirmed Moscow and Bamako’s commitment to deepening political dialogue based on mutual trust and coordinating their efforts at the UN, including within the Group of Friends in Defense of the UN Charter, as well as at other multilateral platforms," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement issued after the talks.

According to the statement, the Russian side "expressed its readiness to continue helping maintain peace and stability in Mali and the Sahara-Sahel region as a whole."

"The Foreign Ministers discussed a wide range of current issues related to further strengthening traditionally friendly Russia-Mali relations, with an emphasis on expanding trade, economic and investment ties in line with the decisions adopted at the second meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission on Cooperation, held in Kazan in May 2026," the ministry added.