Ukraine Denies Unfounded Accusations by Niger, Which Stands in Solidarity with Russia
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine said it regrets the decision of the authorities of the African country of Niger to break off diplomatic relations, rejected any accusations and stressed that such a decision is a gesture of solidarity with Russia, which is waging war against Ukraine.
This is stated in an official statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
"Ukraine has taken note of the decision of the authorities of the Republic of Niger of 6 August 2024 to break off diplomatic relations with Ukraine. The accusations against Ukraine contained in the statement of the representative of the government of this country do not stand up to any criticism, are groundless and untrue."
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed that Ukraine strongly rejects any accusations against it of allegedly "supporting international terrorism, violating the UN Charter and international law".
Ukraine also assumes that this decision is a gesture of "solidarity" with those who have chosen to move closer to Russia, which has been waging a full-scale war against Ukraine for more than two years.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed that Russia destabilises the international security and political situation, spreading chaos and confrontation in all parts of the world, including the African continent.
"It is regrettable that the Nigerian authorities have decided to sever diplomatic relations with Ukraine without conducting any investigation into the incident in Mali and without providing any evidence regarding the reasons for such a step," the Foreign Ministry stressed.
At the same time, the Foreign Ministry said, Ukraine is sincerely determined to continue building mutually beneficial relations with all African states on the basis of equality, non-interference in internal affairs, respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries within internationally recognised borders and strict adherence to international law, the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.
On 6 August, it became known that the African country of Niger had severed diplomatic relations with Ukraine, following Mali. This happened two days after Mali accused Kyiv of allegedly supporting the actions of Tuareg rebels who recently defeated a convoy of Malian military and Russian mercenaries, the Wagner PMC.
As The Gaze previously reported, Mali's transitional government has decided to sever diplomatic relations with Ukraine, accusing the country's military intelligence of involvement in the destruction of Russian Wagner mercenaries. Ukraine called the move "short-sighted and hasty" and said it wanted to see evidence of its involvement first.