Russia May Set Up Red Sea Naval Base After Deal on Port Calls - Senior Sudan MP

KHARTOUM (Sputnik) - A deal between Sudan and Russia on navy port visits could morph into permanent Russian military presence on the Red Sea coast, the head of Sudan’s parliamentary defense committee told Sputnik.

"The date of the requested port call is being discussed. It will be approved if the two countries make an agreement. This deal will pave the way for more agreements and greater cooperation… possibly a Russian base on the Red Sea," Maj. Gen. Al-Hadi Adam said.

A Russian port visit, he added, could give the Sudanese Navy first-hand experience of Russia’s cutting-edge military equipment and help train its naval forces, boosting strategic ties between the two nations.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has recently approved a draft deal with Sudan to ease port visit regulations for both navies. A decree to this effect is available on Russia’s official legal news website.

The draft agreement includes security provisions for seamen who will be allowed to go ashore unarmed. Navy ships carrying weapons of mass destruction, nuclear fuel, biological weapons, radioactive substances, toxins or drugs will be banned from entering ports.