Sudanese president visits Saudi Arabia for talks, confirming military and economic links

Sudanese President Omar Hassan Al-Bashir was due to arrive in Saudi Arabia on Sunday, where he is scheduled to meet with King Salman Bin Abdulaziz, Okaz newspaper has reported.

Local sources said that the two leaders will discuss bilateral relations between their countries. There will be a focus on the economic situation as well as regional and international developments.

The visit is seen widely as a gesture of gratitude to Saudi Arabia by Al-Bashir; it has played a vital role in the lifting of the economic sanctions imposed on Sunday by the US.

Sudan has been very supportive of Saudi Arabia and its regional plans. In early 2015 Khartoum announced its solidarity with Riyadh after the attack on the Saudi Embassy and Consulate in Tehran; it went as far as severing diplomatic ties with Tehran. Sudan also plays a strong role in the Saudi-led coalition of forces fighting Houthi rebels in Yemen.

Last year, the Sudanese president was very keen to attend the conclusion of the Raad Al-Shamal (North Thunder) military exercise which began in northern Saudi Arabia on 14 February and concluded on 10 March. Twenty-one countries took part. Furthermore, Saudi Arabia and Sudan have just concluded a joint naval exercise named Alfalak 2 at King Faisal Naval Base, involving the Saudi Western Fleet.

President Al-Bashir has stressed on more than one occasion that Saudi Arabia’s security comes before Sudan’s because it is the home of the Two Holy Mosques in Makkah and Madinah.

On the economic front, in November 2015 Sudan and Saudi Arabia signed four framework agreements related to agriculture, electricity, drinking water and dams. The first agreement included the building of a power station in Sudan’s Red Sea Province. The second agreement pertains to the provision of water in Sudan’s rural areas as per its 2015-2020 plan, as well as the funding of the Kajbar, Dal and Al-Shiraik dams.