Turkey, Sudan sign 21 cooperation agreements

Turkey and Sudan have signed a total of 21 bilateral agreements in the fields of security, military, economic and cultural cooperation.

The agreements were signed during Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s three-day visit to Sudan which began on Sunday.

Speaking during a press conference, Sudanese Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour said: “The Sudanese Defence Ministry is open to military cooperation with any side and we have military cooperation with our brothers and friends and are ready for military cooperation with Turkey.”

“We have signed an agreement that could result in any kind of military cooperation,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said the agreements include deals on the security of the Red Sea, adding that Turkey is interested in preserving Sudan, Africa and the Red Sea’s security.

Read: Sudan, Turkey to set up ‘strategic cooperation council’, boost trade ties

“We have a military base in Somalia and we have presidential directives to provide support to Sudan in the fields of security, police and military … and we continue to develop relations in defence industries,” he added.

According to one of the agreements, Turkey will rebuild the ruined Ottoman port city of Suakin on Sudan’s Red Sea coast and construct a naval dock to maintain civilian and military vessels.

The two sides have also agreed to establish a joint Strategic Cooperation Council chaired by the two states’ leaders.