Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused France of supporting "terrorists in Libya" and criticized its interference in the internal affairs of African countries.

Lavrov said during a joint press conference with Eswatini Foreign Minister Thuli Dladla on Tuesday: “By supporting terrorists in Libya, France has fostered terrorism in Africa” according to what was reported by the North Africa Post.

“By supporting the terrorists in Libya, France has fostered the terrorism that is still observed in Africa. It is sad that the colonial mentality and the ‘divide and conquer’ strategy are still used in the foreign policy of our European and Western colleagues,” Lavrov added.

French President Emmanuel Macron has previously accused Russia of influencing Burkina Faso's recent decision to ask French forces to leave its territory within one month.

Lavrov rejected accusations that Moscow works with private para-military organizations in Mali, Central African Republic and Burkina Faso. “We are accused of undermining French interests in the Central African Republic, Mali and now Burkina Faso. This is the mentality that the European Union applies everywhere in the world. This mentality was also used for Ukraine in the 2000s,” Lavrov said.