Foreign ministers of Russia, Burkina Faso discuss cooperation in military, media fields

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Thursday that military cooperation with Burkina Faso has been developing steadily in recent months.

Speaking at a meeting with Burkina Faso Foreign Minister Karamoko Jean-Marie Traore in Moscow, Lavrov described military cooperation and the fight against terrorism as "priority" issues in bilateral relations.

"Cooperation in the military and military-technical spheres, the fight against terrorism, and other threats that unfortunately persist in this part of the African continent also remains our top priority," he said.

Lavrov also praised cooperation with Burkina Faso within the UN as "exemplary," as well as coordination within the Russia-Alliance of Sahel States (AES) format.

He called for increased cooperation in the media sphere to ensure information is received directly from sources, free from external interpretations.

Traore emphasized the importance of partnership with Russia. He said Burkina Faso's authorities have appointed the minister of agriculture as co-chair of the joint intergovernmental commission established to strengthen economic ties.

He also agreed on the necessity of media cooperation, saying: "Often we become victims of spread of untrue information. I think the agreement we are to sign today will let us work in this field energetically and calmly."

Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali withdrew from the ECOWAS bloc and formed their own confederation, the AES.