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Mali has no contract with private military company Wagner — Foreign Minister

French special operations units conducting the counterterrorism Operation Barkhane in Mali’s Sahel region found no signs that PMC Wagner was present in the country

MOSCOW, November 11. /TASS/. Mali told France that the African country didn’t sign a contract with the private military company (PMC) Wagner, Malian Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop said at a news conference after talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov. 

"We already spoke with our French colleagues about the issue. I confirmed no contract was signed in this area,’’ he said.

He said the Malian government should have the option to make its own decisions on this issue. ‘’It’s our right and responsibility,’’ the top diplomat said.

Lavrov said at the press conference, which was dedicated to his trip to the UN General Assembly session in New York, that the Malian government sought help from Russia’s private military company in the fight against terrorism, and Moscow had nothing to do with it.

French special operations units conducting the counterterrorism Operation Barkhane in Mali’s Sahel region found no signs that PMC Wagner was present in the country, French Armed Forces spokesman Pascal Ianni said in October. Ianni said he was unaware if Mali had an agreement with Wagner.