Dar es Salaam, April 4 -- RUSSIAN Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has reaffirmed Moscows commitment to bolstering the defense capabilities of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) following talks in Moscow on Thursday.

Speaking after a meeting with his counterparts from Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, Lavrov stated that Russia is prepared “to actively assist in building the capacity of the joint forces of the Sahel states, enhancing their combat readiness, as well as that of the national armed forces of each of the three countries, and in training military personnel and law enforcement officers.”

Moscows readiness to aid in the creation of a unified armed force for the three Sahel nations would be in addition to existing bil...