'Multifaceted Cooperation': Russian FM Lavrov Arrives in Sudan

KHARTOUM (Sputnik) - On Thursday, Lavrov will hold talks with Sudanese Foreign Minister Ali Al-Sadiq and other top officials, including Deputy Chairman of the ruling Sovereign Council of Sudan Colonel-General Mohamed Dagalo and its Chairman Colonel-General Abdelfattah Burhan.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has arrived in Sudan, a Sputnik correspondent reported.

Upon his arrival, Russia's top diplomat held talks with his Sudanese counterpart Ali Al-Sadiq.

The Russian foreign ministry stated that during Lavrov's visit it is planned to discuss in detail "key aspects of Russian-Sudanese multifaceted cooperation, as well as topical international and regional problems, with an emphasis on the need to find political and diplomatic solutions to crisis situations in the Middle East and the African continent."

During his visit, Lavrov also intends to pay attention to preparations for the second Russia-Africa summit.

"Considerable attention is expected to be paid to the course of preparations for the second Russia-Africa summit, which will be held in St. Petersburg in July this year," the ministry said in a statement.

This is the Russian foreign minister's first visit to Sudan, although representatives of the African state have repeatedly visited Russia. In 2019, Burhan met with Russian President Vladimir Putin during the Russia-Africa summit in Sochi. In 2021, then-Sudanese Foreign Minister Mariam Al-Mahdi visited Russia. In 2022, Dagalo came to the Russian Federation, along with Ali As-Sadeq.

According to the country's ambassador to Moscow, Mohammed Elgazali Eltijani Sirraj, Lavrov's visit to Sudan is an important milestone in the development of relations between the two countries, since it will provide an opportunity to discuss the intensification of bilateral cooperation.

"We expect to use this favorable event in the course of constructive meetings with the country's leadership to further develop our already friendly relations with Russia," he stated.

A number of Russian companies, primarily specializing in the field of geology, are successfully operating in Sudan. Steps are also being taken to develop cooperation in nuclear energy. In 2017, the Russian Federation and Sudan signed an intergovernmental agreement on cooperation in the field of the use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.

In 2020, Moscow and Khartoum signed an agreement on the construction of a logistics center for the Russian Navy in the Red Sea. According to the document, the number of personnel at the base should not exceed 300 people, and no more than four Russian ships can be there at a time. Later, following negotiations with Lavrov, Dagalo noted that the Sudanese authorities did not object to the deployment of a Russian naval base in the Red Sea, which would be used to replenish supplies, repair ships and provide rest for crew members.