On the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, the foreign ministers of the Confederation of Sahel States (AES) met on Tuesday, September 22, 2026 in New York with their counterparts from Germany, Italy and Switzerland.

This meeting, initiated by the three European countries, is part of a dialogue process and allowed both parties to have open and constructive discussions on the evolving situation in the Sahel region and the prospects for strengthening cooperation with the countries of the AES Confederation.

At the start of the discussions, the representatives of the three European countries indicated that their objective through this framework is to gather information from the right source in order to preserve the links that exist between the two parties.

The ministers of the AES Confederation welcomed the initiative of the three European countries, believing that direct dialogue and the sharing of first-hand information are a useful step towards a better understanding of the realities of the Sahel.

The Malian, Nigerien and Burkinabe ministers therefore presented the situation in the confederation space, placing particular emphasis on security issues.

They expressed their concerns regarding the support that some European states provide to terrorist groups operating in the Sahel, as well as subversive and destabilizing initiatives against the member states of the Confederation, while indicating a link between terrorism in the Sahel and persistent neo-colonial logics.

Despite this context, they reassured everyone that the countries of the Confederation are demonstrating resilience and achieving encouraging results in terms of security. This is complemented by strong economic performance, thanks to a new development vision based in particular on better leveraging of national resources.

Other topics of discussion between the two sides focused on common challenges, notably the issue of migration, which affects both sides of the Mediterranean. On this issue, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Burkina Faso emphasized the need for host countries to adjust their perspectives and change their rhetoric, avoiding the tendency to always portray migrants as “problems” or to always blame the countries of origin.

At the end of the discussions, both parties welcomed the holding of this first meeting and stressed the need to maintain contact and continue the dialogue, in order to identify and implement concrete initiatives in areas such as agriculture, industrialization and infrastructure, with a view to contributing to a sustainable and positive transformation of the Sahel.

Representatives from Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso clarified that in its new dynamic, the AES Confederation does not seek to isolate itself but remains open to any cooperation based on respect for the sovereignty and interests of its member states.

Following this consultation, the Burkinabe Minister of Foreign Affairs held a bilateral meeting with his counterpart from the Swiss Confederation, H.E. Ignazio CASSIS.

He expressed his gratitude to the foreign ministers of the AES Confederation for the quality of the discussions which took place in a climate of sincerity.