21 Feb. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Mali Ministry of Foreign Affairs has summoned this Monday the European Union charge d’affaires in the country, Pascal Perennec, to express his dissatisfaction with the “unfriendly, erroneous and aggressive statements made” by the President of the European Council, Charles Michel.
The Malian diplomacy portfolio refers to an interview in which Michel would have accused the authorities of the African country of “having broken relations with European partners”, according to a statement.
That is why the Foreign Ministry “deeply regrets” the words of the President of the European Council, “contrary to diplomatic rules and the basic principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign State.”
“Mr. Michel’s comments are all the more inappropriate since they omit the tangible progress made by the Malian Armed Forces on the ground,” the letter continues, before adding that these “imbued with lightness” statements contribute “to tarnishing a cordial relationship between Mali and the European Union”.
Likewise, Bamako stressed that “some European partners have freely decided, unilaterally and without prior consultation with Mali, to end their bilateral cooperation.” He has also criticized the historical responsibility of certain Member States of the Union in the destabilization of the Sahel region, specifically after the NATO intervention in Libya.
The Malian authorities have called “for reason, a sense of proportion and the cessation of the disinformation campaign against Mali”, while recalling that they maintain the “commitment to strengthen friendly relations and cooperation with all its partners within the framework of mutual respect.
