MOSCOW. Nov 1 (Interfax-AVN) - Moscow could help restore the combat potential of Mali's Army by providing it with weapons, Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdukov told journalists on Thursday.
The Russian defense and foreign ministers met with their French counterparts in Paris on Wednesday to discuss cooperation in security issues.
"The issue of our direct support for a planned military operation in northern Mali is not on the agenda today," Serdukov said, answering a question from Interfax-AVN.
"However, [Mali] is willing to acquire weapons. Rosoboronexport is looking into this request," the minister said.
At the beginning of the year, Tuareg insurgents from the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad drove pro-government forces out of Mali's northern districts and proclaimed their independence, leading to a military coup in Mali and the ousting of President Amadou Toumani Toure.
Islamists from al-Qaeda, the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa and Ansar Al-Din took advantage of the weakness or the absence of the central governments in the Maghreb countries. They are currently controlling a vast area, comparable in size to the territories of France and Belgium put together.
The Economic Community of West African States is now preparing a military operation aimed at liberating northern Mali from al-Qaeda units.