BAMAKO, February 7. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov expressed hope that deliveries of Russian wheat, fertilizers and petroleum products to Mali would start in the near future.
"We are continuing humanitarian assistance to Mali, including, in the first place, through the bilateral line. I hope deliveries of wheat, fertilizers, petroleum products and other strategic goods will start in the near future," Lavrov said on Tuesday after talks with Mali’s Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop.
Russia is also providing regular humanitarian aid in addition to bilateral steps in this direction through the World Food Programme, the Minister noted.
Mali and Russia agree to continue efforts of broadening opportunities in the trade-economic and investment spheres, Lavrov said. "Our trade turnover is growing and fairly quickly - by twenty-odd percent last year. Still, absolute figures are not very impressive - this is our common assessment. We agree that mineral resources tapping, exploration, energy, transport and other infrastructure, and agriculture are promising spheres to apply our efforts," he added.