MOSCOW, February 9. /TASS/. France and Ukraine support terrorist groups in Russia-friendly countries in Africa, Moscow’s Ambassador to Paris Alexey Meshkov said.
"Paris is looking for someone to blame for its own failures in Africa. They have decided that it’s Russia’s fault, so they are countering Russia in every way they can," he told the Rossiya-24 TV channel. "This includes cooperation with Ukrainian intelligence agencies and support for various terrorist groups, aimed at weakening the independent governments that are emerging on the African continent," the envoy added.
Dialogue on possible cooperation in African countries, particularly in the economic field, was underway with the French back in the 2000s, Meshkov pointed out. "Later, however, Paris set on a course to counter any Russian involvement in cooperation [with African nations]. The reason is that the Sahel countries have long stopped to see themselves as France’s ‘backyard,’ pursuing an independent policy, which greatly irritates Paris," the diplomat explained.