MOSCOW, August 5. /TASS/. The authorities of Mali announced a decision to sever diplomatic relations with Ukraine citing Kiev's support of terrorist formations in the African country, aBamako news portal reported on Monday citing the Malian government’s communique.
According to the document, the authorities of Mali were bewildered following a statement of Andrey Yusov, a spokesman for the Main Directorate of Intelligence of Ukraine, about his country’s involvement in the attack by armed terrorist groups on members of the Malian defense and security forces in late July in Mali’s northeastern Tinzaouaten region that borders on Algeria.
The Malian government also drew attention to recent statements made by the Ukrainian ambassador in Senegal, Yury Pivovarov, who "displayed his country's unambiguous support for international terrorism, particularly in Mali."
"Such serious allegations, which have not been either refuted or denounced by the authorities of Ukraine, point to the Ukrainian government's obvious official support of terrorism in Africa, in the Sahel and, particularly, in Mali," the document reads.
"Following a thorough study of the situation, the Transitional Government of the Republic of Mali emphasizes that the actions on behalf of the Ukrainian authorities violate the sovereignty of Mali, pose aggression and render support to international terrorism, in bold violation of the international law, including the UN Charter," the document says.
The Transitional Government of Mali "strongly condemns this Ukrainian aggression and the hostility of the Kiev authorities, contrary to the position of neutrality maintained by the authorities of Mali, which has always called for a peaceful resolution to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine," according to the communique.
Following Ukraine's acknowledged involvement in the apparent aggression against Mali, the African country's transitional government decided to "immediately sever diplomatic relations between the Republic of Mali and Ukraine," the document added.