UNITED NATIONS, September 25. /TASS/. Mali is interested in maintaining security cooperation with Russia, said Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop, who met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on Friday.

"I came to pay a visit to my friend Sergey Lavrov, the foreign minister of Russia. Mali and Russia are friends and partners. We have a long-term historical partnership, which we want to strengthen. We have collaboration in every area: economic development, education, culture, people-to-people collaboration and on defense and security matters," he told reporters.

"Russia is a [permannet] member of the UN Security Council, so we want Russia to continue to support Malian causes. So these are the key points. We came to just reiterate Malian willingness to cooperate with Russia and to continue to have this partnership to benefit Malian security interests," the minister added.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said Lavrov and Diop discussed counter-terrorism issues. 

"The top diplomats considered topical matters of developing Russian-Malian cooperation in various spheres. The issue of countering the terrorist threat in the Sahara-Sahel region was discussed in detail," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Lavrov arrived in New York on Wednesday to take part in the High-Level week of the 76th UN General Assembly. The Russian top diplomat has already had a series of bilateral meetings with his foreign counterparts.

On September 25, he will make a speech during the Assembly’s Annual General Debate.

Lavrov arrived in New York on Wednesday to take part in the High-Level week of the 76th UN General Assembly. The Russian top diplomat has already had a series of bilateral meetings with his foreign counterparts.

On September 25, he will make a speech during the Assembly’s Annual General Debate.