Luca Gambardella

🇧🇫🇪🇺🚨| Very interesting development regarding Burkina Faso and its relations with EU. "We want a partnership based on sincerity," Burkina Faso's Foreign Minister Karamoko Jean-Marie Traoré told EU officials in Brussels, his ministry said on Nov. 6. He met Birgitte Nygaard Markussen, the new EU Special Representative for the Sahel, on Nov. 3, and Kaja Kallas, the EU's High Representative for foreign affairs, on Nov. 4. According to the ministry, the EU spoke of a "renewed approach" to Burkina and the Sahel and offered to step up political dialogue. The EU's diplomatic service called the talks "constructive, open and frank, including on our differences". Neither side announced an agreement. Traoré used the visit to attack a European Parliament resolution on Burkina, which he blamed on "false statements" by French MEP Christophe Gomart @Chris_Gomart . "Avoid wearing European glasses to read the Sahelian context," he said. He also rejected the idea that Ouagadougou is isolated: "My presence here is proof that we are not closed." The trip came six days after the Russia-Africa summit, where Burkina's message asked Moscow to deliver on their strategic partnership while defending diversified partnerships. Europe had reopened contacts before that: Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot visited Ouagadougou in August, and he met Traoré again in Brussels on Nov. 5. This is a noteworthy development, given that Ouagadougou did cut diplomatic ties with France in June and expelled two EU delegation officials in July.

🇷🇺🇰🇿🇹🇷 | Although Russia’s European flank is the focus of all attention, it is worth noting that Moscow is attempting to maintain control over Central Asia, particularly the Turkic-speaking countries. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said today that Russia's participation in the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) "would be entirely understandable, appropriate and natural", citing Russian regions whose peoples are Turkic by historical origin. Peskov added that Moscow has received no official invitation and that the topic will come up in contacts with Astana. On 30 October, at the OTS summit in Ankara, Kazakh President Tokayev proposed inviting Russia into the "OTS+" format or granting it observer status. Peskov spoke of participation and did not mention membership. This deserves a little more attention, especially given the relationship between all these countries

🇷🇺🇲🇱 | The Russian Emergencies Ministry (MChS/EMERCOM) Il-76TD RA-76363 landed at Bamako-Sénou at 02:17 UTC yesterday, after a six-hour flight from Benghazi. It flew south over the Libyan Fezzan, passed over Niamey without landing, crossed northern Burkina Faso and descended into Bamako. This is at least its fourth Benghazi to Bamako flight since September, after 6, 16 and 23 September, according to public data and Agenzia Nova. Libyan security sources told Nova the September airlift carried Africa Corps materiel that Russia shipped to Tobruk. The cargo of tonight's flight is unknown.