On Thursday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said that Turkey is determined to stand with the Sudanese people and government while maintaining strong bilateral ties.
Erdoğan made his statements at a press conference in Ankara’s presidential complex, following a meeting with Sudan’s Sovereign Council Chairman Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, in which the two sides signed multiple memorandums of understanding. “We are committed to standing by the brotherly people of Sudan and their administration,” Erdoğan said, adding that Ankara would maintain bilateral ties in solidarity in the coming days ahead.
Also, Erdoğan expressed his delight at al-Burhan’s visit to Turkey, stating that he hoped it would mark the beginning of a new chapter in Turkey’s cordial relations with Sudan, since the two nations share historical and cultural links. Erdoğan said that he visited Sudan in 2006 as prime minister and again in 2017 as president, and that the Sudanese people welcomed him with open arms. Erdoğan emphasized that the two nations became strategic allies during his visit in 2017, saying the two leaders discussed a variety of issues and that Sudan has been undergoing a phase of transition since 2019, with al-Burhan playing a crucial role.
The erasure of Sudan’s overdue loans to the World Bank, African Development Bank, and International Monetary Fund, as well as the admission of Sudanese banks in the international financial system, pleased the Turkish president. “We have agreed to revive activities of our inter-ministerial commissions operating under the Council of High-Level Strategic Partnership and mixed financial commission,” Erdoğan expressed. “We have reaffirmed our determination to advance cooperation in all fields, especially in energy, mining, agriculture, health, finance, banking, and defense industry.”
“It is possible to see the deep traces of mutual past with Sudan in the Palace of Ali Dinar in Darfur, masterpiece Masjid al-Kabir in Khartoum, and Suakin, the pearl of the Red Sea,” Erdoğan said, adding that the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) was meticulously restoring mosques along with a customs building in Suakin.
For his part, al-Burhan praised Turkey, stating that the country has always stood by Sudan. The Sudanese top official praised Turkey for being one of the region’s and world’s leading countries, saying the Ankara government offered assistance during the COVID-19 crisis, as well as providing educational assistance for Sudanese students, hosting and training them, and extending a hand to lift the blockade on Sudan.
Collaboration in renewable energy and energy efficiency, a protocol for cooperation between foreign ministries, economic and fiscal cooperation between relevant ministries, and military-fiscal cooperation, as well as a protocol for cash assistance implementation, are among the memorandums of understanding signed by the two countries.
