Mali has urged Ivory Coast to resolve the issue of the 49 Ivorian soldiers through diplomatic means who were arrested in Bamako earlier this month.

In an official statement, c said he is open for dialogue in a spirit of good relations between Mali and Ivory Coast to settle the dispute.

Ivory Coast has demanded immediate release of its soldiers, who it says were unjustly arrested in Malian capital Bamaku as they were in Mali to support the UN mission.