This article outlines the political relationship between India and Mali: the opening of resident embassies, the two governments' positions during Mali's political crisis, high-level and ministerial visits in both directions, the dialogue mechanisms in place and the bilateral agreements signed. It is based on the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) bilateral brief of April 2026.

Overview

According to the MEA brief of April 2026, India and Mali have traditionally maintained friendly relations, which the brief describes as based on shared values, mutual trust and goodwill. The brief adds that the two countries do not have any geo-political conflicts.

The Government of India established its Embassy in Bamako in May 2009. Mali opened its Embassy in New Delhi in August 2009.

The brief records that India has consistently opposed colonialism and has extended developmental assistance to Mali under various schemes, and that Mali has been supportive of India on various international issues. Both countries recognise terrorism as a grave threat to peace and prosperity and have agreed to cooperate at the bilateral, regional and multilateral levels to combat it.

India's position during the 2012 crisis

During the political and security crisis in Mali that followed a military coup in March 2012, India supported efforts to restore constitutional order in Mali and to preserve its unity and territorial integrity. India also contributed US$ 1 million for the strengthening of Malian forces at the Donors Conference held in Addis Ababa.

After democratic order was restored in September 2013, the Government of India welcomed the development and reiterated its willingness to further strengthen its development cooperation partnership with Mali.

Visits from Mali

The then President of Mali, Prof. Alpha Oumar Konare, paid a state visit to India on 28-30 August 1995. He was the first democratically elected President of Mali to visit India, and the brief states that the visit opened a new chapter in bilateral relations. In December 2006 he visited India again, as Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union; according to the brief, this visit laid the foundation for India-Africa engagement under the framework of the India-Africa Forum Summit (IAFS).

In January 2012, the then President, Mr. Amadou Toumani Touré, paid a state visit to India. He was accompanied by First Lady Madame Toure Lobbo Traore and a high-level ministerial and business delegation. A MoU on Cooperation in the Field of Geology and Mineral Resources was signed during the visit.

The then President, Mr. Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta, came to New Delhi in October 2015 for the 3rd India-Africa Forum Summit, with a high-level delegation that included Foreign Minister Mr. Abdoulaye Diop. Earlier, in August 2015, the then First Lady, Madame Aminata Maïga Keïta, attended the Global 'Call to Action Summit 2015' and briefly met Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. President Keïta visited India again in March 2018, at the joint invitation of Prime Minister Modi and French President Macron, for the Founding Conference of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) in New Delhi.

Ministerial and parliamentary visits from Mali

  • March 1996: the Malian Minister of Rural Development and the Minister for Industry visited India to see India's capabilities in the small-scale sector.
  • April 1-3, 1998: the Malian Finance Minister and Minister of Environment attended the first Assembly Meeting of the Global Environmental Facility in New Delhi.
  • 21-25 January 2003: a Malian delegation led by the President of the National Assembly, Mr. Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, attended the Golden Jubilee celebrations of the Indian Parliament.
  • 1-2 March 2004: the then Foreign Minister, Mr. Lassana Traore, took part in the inaugural meeting of TEAM-9.
  • 8-13 October 2009: the then Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Mr. Moctar Ouane, visited India. A Protocol on Foreign Office Consultations and an Agreement on Political, Economic, Scientific, Technical and Cultural cooperation were signed.
  • 21 December 2017: a three member delegation of the National Assembly of Mali, headed by Mr. Abderhamane Niang, Parliamentarian and President of the High Court of Justice of Mali, called on the then Vice-President of India and Chairman, Rajya Sabha, Mr. M. Venkaiah Naidu. It included Mr. Ousmane Kouyate and Mr. Youssouf Aya, Members of Parliament of Mali.

Visits from India

The Vice President of India, Shri Hamid Ansari, visited Mali on 29-30 September 2016, accompanied by Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal, Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs, and three Members of Parliament. He called on the President of Mali, held restricted and delegation-level meetings with the Prime Minister of Mali, addressed the National Assembly and interacted with the Indian community in Bamako.

The first ministerial visit from India to Mali took place on 15 November 2007, when Minister of State Shri Anand Sharma attended the 4th Ministerial meeting of the Community of the Democracies in Bamako. He met Foreign Minister Mr. Moctar Ouane and had a brief one-on-one meeting with President Mr. Amadou Toumani Toure at an official reception. Mali chaired the convening group of the Community of Democracies from May 2005 to November 2007.

In 2015, the then Minister of State for Steel and Mines, Shri Vishnu Deo Sai, visited Bamako as Special Envoy of the Prime Minister of India to hand over the invitation to IAFS-III to the President of Mali.

Dialogue mechanisms

The brief records two dialogue mechanisms, the Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) and Foreign Office Consultations (FOC):

  • The first ever JCM was held during the visit to Mali of the then Minister of State for External Affairs, Shri M.J. Akbar, on March 2-3, 2017. He co-chaired it with H.E. Mr. Abdoulaye Diop, the Foreign Minister of Mali.
  • The 1st India-Mali FOC was held in New Delhi on 4 November 2019. The Malian delegation was led by the then Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Mr. Boubacar Gouro Diall.

Recent contacts

On 25 April 2020, External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar and the then Foreign Minister of Mali, Mr. Tiébilé Dramé, held a telephone conversation on bilateral relations, including India's support to Mali during the COVID-19 pandemic.

On 15th October 2025, Minister of State for External Affairs Shri Kirti Vardhan Singh met H.E. Mr. Abdoulaye Diop, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Mali, on the sidelines of the 19th Mid-Term Ministerial Meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in Kampala, Uganda. According to the brief, the two Ministers reviewed bilateral relations and shared a commitment to further strengthening the traditionally friendly ties.

Bilateral agreements

The brief lists the following agreements:

  • Protocol on Foreign Office Consultations (October 2009)
  • Agreement on Political, Economic, Scientific, Technical and Cultural Cooperation (October 2009)
  • MOU on Cooperation in Geology and Mineral Resources (January 2012)
  • Cultural Exchange Programme (September 2016)
  • MOU on Standards between the Bureau of Indian Standards and Direction Nationale De Industries, Mali (September 2016)
  • MoU between Republic of Mali and Telecommunications Consultants India Limited [TCIL] for Mali's participation in e-VidyaBharati and e-AarogyaBharati (e-VBAB) Network Project of Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India (November 2019)