A threat of NATO’s intervention in an African country… and a diplomatic crisis on the horizon

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Malian Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop said during an interview with him on state television: "We summoned the Spanish ambassador to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday to inform him of our strong protest against these statements".

And the Spanish Foreign Minister, Jose Manuel Albarez, considered that the hypothesis of NATO Atlantic in Mali is not excluded.

Albarez said in a statement to the official radio station: "RNAE" On the sidelines of the Atlantic Summit in Madrid: "We cannot rule it out. This issue was not brought up during the discussions in Madrid because the summit is devoted to defining the framework for NATO’s action. If necessary and if there is a threat to our security, we will certainly do so".

The Finance Minister said that "These statements are unacceptable, unfriendly and dangerous"because it involves "A tendency to encourage aggression against a sovereign and independent country".

He added: "We asked for explanations and clarification of this position to the Spanish government. We hope that (explanations and clarification) will arrive soon".

The Finance Minister continued: "The Spanish minister should remember that the current insecurity and the expansion of terrorism in the Sahel region are linked especially to the NATO intervention in Libya, whose repercussions we are still paying for.".

The Spanish Embassy responded in Maliin a statement Saturday, confirming that "During the NATO summit, nor on any other occasion, Spain did not request any intervention or action by the Alliance in Mali".

She added that Madrid "It will continue to develop a friendly and peaceful relationship with Bamako".

And on Saturday, the Finance Minister wrote on "Twitter" He had a phone call with his Spanish counterpart, and Diop explained that the latter "Negation" The possibility of a military intervention by NATO in Mali, and"He expressed his commitment to friendship and cooperation" Between the two countries.

For the first time, the latest NATO road map refers to "strategic interest" For him, the regions of the Middle East, North Africa and the Sahel pose, as well as, in particular, the dangers posed by terrorism and illegal immigration.

Spain had stressed that addressing the threats in the southern flank during the NATO summit is a major priority for it.

Madrid fears in particular that the instability in the Sahel region, where militant groups are active, will lead to an increase in illegal immigration.

became Spain Located kilometers from the African coast, it is one of the main stations for illegal immigrants seeking to reach Europe.

Mali, the poor country in the Sahel, witnessed two military coups in August 2020 and May 2021, and the political crisis coincides with an ongoing security crisis since 2012 and the emergence of separatist and jihadist rebellions in the north of the country, whose scope of operations expanded to Burkina Faso and Niger.

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“We summoned the Spanish ambassador to the Foreign Ministry on Friday to inform him of our strong protest against these statements,” Malian Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop said during an interview with state television.

And the Spanish Foreign Minister, Jose Manuel Albarez, considered that the hypothesis of NATO Atlantic in Mali is not excluded.

Albarez said in a statement to the official radio station “RNE” on the sidelines of the Atlantic Summit in Madrid: “We cannot rule it out. This issue was not brought up during the discussions in Madrid because the summit is intended to define the framework for NATO’s action. If necessary, And if there is a threat to our security, we will certainly do so.”

The Malian Foreign Minister said that “these statements are unacceptable, unfriendly and dangerous”, because they have “a tendency to encourage aggression against a sovereign and independent country.”

“We have asked for explanations and clarification of this position for the Spanish government. We hope that (explanations and clarification) will arrive quickly,” he added.

And the Malian Foreign Minister continued: “The Spanish minister should remember that the current insecurity and the expansion of terrorism in the Sahel region are linked, in particular, to the NATO intervention in Libya, whose repercussions we are still paying for.”

The Spanish Embassy responded in MaliIn a statement on Saturday, she stressed that “Spain did not request, during the NATO summit, or on any other occasion, any intervention or action by the alliance in Mali.”

She added that Madrid “will continue to develop a friendly and peaceful relationship with Bamako.”

And Saturday, the Malian Foreign Minister wrote on Twitter that he had made a phone call with his Spanish counterpart, and Diop explained that the latter “denied” the possibility of NATO military intervention in Mali, and “expressed his adherence to the relations of friendship and cooperation” between the two countries.

For the first time, the latest NATO road map refers to a “strategic interest” in the Middle East, North Africa and the Sahel, as well as, in particular, the risks posed by terrorism and illegal immigration.

Spain had stressed that addressing the threats in the southern flank during the NATO summit is a major priority for it.

Madrid fears in particular that the instability in the Sahel region, where militant groups are active, will lead to an increase in illegal immigration.

became Spain Located kilometers from the African coast, it is one of the main stations for illegal immigrants seeking to reach Europe.

Mali, the poor country in the Sahel, witnessed two military coups in August 2020 and May 2021, and the political crisis coincides with an ongoing security crisis since 2012 and the emergence of separatist and jihadist rebellions in the north of the country, whose scope of operations expanded to Burkina Faso and Niger.

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