"This issue should be addressed to the French themselves, because they need to declare a rejection of imperial ambitions, and not shift the blame onto someone else and not to blame other countries, but to take such steps themselves in the field of foreign policy and economy that will convince France's partners that France has really reconsidered its attitude towards the African continent and considers these countries to be equal partners, working with them on the basis of mutual benefit and equal partnership," Ozerov says.
"Very powerful propaganda has been unleashed in France, and there is a lot of talk that Russia is allegedly to blame for the loss [of France's] position in Africa. […] France began to lose its position in Africa for a very long time - since the late 1990s," the ambassador pointed out. "At that time, France had already begun to roll back its presence, reshape it, and focus on particular countries. This was due to the loss of France's role, influence and weight, as well as authority."
"Thanks to Russia, the situation was stabilized first in the CAR, then in Mali. The point here is that the Africans turned to Russia for help not because they want to harm France, but in order to solve their own security problems. And we are doing it well," Ozerov noted.