NAIROBI, November 6. /TASS/. Mali’s interim President Assimi Goita has handed over to the leaders of Niger and Burkina Faso a personal message from Russian President Vladimir Putin following the Russia-Africa summit in Moscow, Ivory Coast’s news portal CINEWS reported.

According to the news portal, after participating in the summit on October 28 and 29, Goita visited Niamey and Ouagadougou on November 5 where he held talks with Niger’s President Abdourahamane Tiani and Burkina Faso’s leader Ibrahim Traore. Goita acted as a mediator between Moscow and his partners in the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) and handed over a confidential message from the Russian leadership, it noted.

The RFI radio station has confirmed the reports. It said, citing sources, that Goita briefed his counterparts about discussions during the Moscow summit and handed over Putin’s message, the content of which was not disclosed.

According to CINEWS, the three African leaders discussed issues of cooperation with Russia in such areas as defense, combating terrorism, diplomacy, and economic development, as well as the results of the Moscow summit.

Goita was the only AES leader to take part in the Russia-Africa summit in Moscow on October 28 and 29. Burkina Faso and Niger were represented by governmental delegations. During the summit, Mali signed two contracts with Russia’s Zarubezhgeologiya company, part of the Rosgeologiye holding, for prospecting works for gold and lithium deposits.