On Monday, May 24, Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani met with Sudan’s Sovereignty Council President Abdul Fattah el-Burhan, his deputy Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, nicknamed “Hemedti”, Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and Foreign Minister Mariam al-Mahdi. Al-Thani conveyed the message of the Emir of Qatar to the Sudanese parties about “strengthening bilateral relations in order to improve the economic situation of Sudan and bring the peaceful environment to a stable order”.
In the meeting, ways to improve cooperation between the two countries in the context of the commitments made by Qatar at the Paris Conference held last week, hosted by France for the development of Sudan, and Qatar’s proposal to establish an investment zone in Sudan were discussed.
In the statement made by Sudan after the meeting, it was emphasized that Qatar’s proposal to establish an economic investment zone was discussed and that this project, which would make a significant contribution to the development of the country’s infrastructure, was welcomed.
In addition, issues related to regional crises such as the border problems Sudan has with Libya, Chad and Ethiopia were also discussed in the meetings. Al-Thani said in a statement on this subject that they are against situations that may affect the safety or lives of the Sudanese people. He also appreciated Sudan’s way of addressing these issues with smart and quiet diplomacy. At this point, a critical comment was made by Al-Thani regarding the Sudan-Ethiopia border crisis, in which he pointed out that it should be resolved through dialogue and diplomatic communication between the two countries. In addition, the minister emphasized the importance of the Juba Peace Agreement to ensure peace throughout Sudan.
The visit of the top Qatari diplomat, who will later travel to Cairo after he visits Libya, is officially his first to Sudan since the transformation process in Sudan in April 2019. Recently, al-Burhan and Hemedti hand conducted an official visit to Doha.
