Sudan has ‘reservations’ about Russian naval base deal

The Commander-in-Chief of the Sudanese Army, General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, has said that his country has some reservations about the agreement concluded with Russia to establish a naval base in Port Sudan on the Red Sea.

“The creation of this base is part of an existing agreement,” Al-Burhan told Russia’s state-run news agency Sputnik. “We discuss the matter regularly, and there are some issues that have to be remedied.”

Nevertheless, he added, Sudan is “committed to international agreements” and will continue to implement them. “Khartoum has long-standing and ongoing military cooperation with Moscow.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin approved the establishment of a Russian naval base in Sudan last November. It will be capable of accommodating nuclear-powered ships, Russia Today reported at the time. However, in April, Sudan decided to freeze the agreement.

In June, the Chief of Staff of the Sudanese Army, Muhammad Othman Al-Hussein, announced that the military agreement with Russia was being reviewed, including the construction of the base on the Red Sea.

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