Military cooperation top priority on Sudanese-Turkish relations: al-Bashir
November 6, 2018 (KHARTOUM) President Omer al-Bashir on Tuesday has instructed the Ministry of Defence to give priority to military cooperation over all other aspects of the Sudanese-Turkish relations.
Al-Bashir’s instructions came during his meeting with the visiting Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar in the presence of Sudan Army’s Chief of General Staff Kamal Abdel-Marouf.
The Sudanese President pointed to the strong will in both countries to cooperate on all fields particularity military domain.
In press statements following the meeting, Abdel-Marouf said the visit of the Turkish Defence Minister and his meeting with President al-Bashir comes within the framework of the strategic cooperation between the Sudanese and Turkish armies.
He pointed to the visit of Sudan Army’s Chief of Joint Staff to Turkey last May and the visit of the Turkish Army’s Chief of Joint Staff to Khartoum last December.
Abel-Marouf underscored that military cooperation between the two countries is progressing steadily, pointing to historic and eternal relations between Sudan and Turkey.
The meeting discussed among others, the establishment of military training centres in Sudan one of the issues agreed by the two countries, according to the Turkish news agency Anadolu.
Sudan and Turkey to open military training centres in Sudan were also part of the topics discussed at the meeting.
The Turkish-Sudanese relations have reached a high level, especially after President Erdogan visit to Sudan last December.
During Erdogan’s visit to Khartoum, the two sides signed 12 cooperation agreements and agreed to launch a strategic partnership covering agriculture, industry, minerals and health.
They also approved the establishment of a higher political committee headed by the two presidents, saying the committee would annually meet in Khartoum and Ankara alternately.
The two sides agreed to raise trade exchange between the two countries to $1 billion within one year to reach $10 billion in the future.
According to a report issued by the Sudanese Ministry of Investment, the volume of Turkish investments in Sudan amounted to 2 billion dollars from 2000 to 2017.
It further indicates that there are 288 Turkish investment projects in the east African country.
(ST)