MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 04th February, 2022) The Malian Foreign Ministry urged the country's missions abroad on Friday to tighten conditions for obtaining visas to the African country, following international criticism of the Malian military junta.
"Given the current context, I invite you to redouble your vigilance and rigor in the issuance of any type of entry visa to Mali," senior Malian diplomat Abdoulaye Tounkara said in a statement, as quoted by the Le Pays newspaper.
Embassies and consulates are invited to consult with the ministry on all applications of a particular nature, the statement added.
The order comes as Paris and Bamako are at odds over critical statements by French Foreign and Defense Ministers, Jean-Yves Le Drian and Florence Parly regarding the poor handling of the transition period by the Malian government. In response, the authorities expelled the French ambassador to Bamako, Joel Meyer, earlier this week.
The move was condemned by several European nations, while the EU said that it might take action against Mali in the event of any obstruction of the transition of power in the African nation, hit by two military coups since 2020.
In late November, Malian Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop said that the general election, which was supposed to end the transition period, will have to be postponed from February 2022 to 2025 due to the volatile security situation.
