MOSCOW, December 7. /TASS/. In pursuing a sovereign policy and rejecting the patronage of the "collective West," the Central African Republic (CAR) and Mali serve as an inspiration to the rest of the African continent to do the same, Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) Director Sergey Naryshkin said.
"The Central African Republic and Mali are clear evidence of Africa rethinking its geopolitical identity, something that is gaining momentum. The new governments in Bangui and Bamako have found the courage to embark on the path of rejecting outright the patronage of France and the ‘collective West’ in favor of establishing close ties with our country in the economic and military-political spheres, and have in practice seen the correctness of their choice," Naryshkin said in an article published by the Razvedchik (Intelligence Officer) magazine.
"I am confident that their example will inspire other states on the African continent interested in pursuing a sovereign political course, based primarily on national interests and not dependent on the whims of Western elites," Naryshkin went on to say.
The intelligence chief pointed out that "the former mother countries will not abandon their attempts to undermine the aspirations of Africans for sovereign development, using a proven 'essentials kit' of classic colonial methods." Such a kit, according to Naryshkin, includes various tools, "from endless promises of financial and military-political assistance to deliberate incitement of interstate conflicts, spread of radical Islamist ideology and direct military interventions."
"However, this will only prompt regional leaders towards looking for more reliable 'suppliers' of security, which in their eyes are Russia, China, India, as well as the monarchies of Arabia, which do not have a dark colonial past and, most importantly, are ready to offer African countries and peoples cooperation on an equal and not ideology-driven basis," he summed up.