Hamdok arrives in Brussels for meeting with EU foreign ministers
November 11, 2019 (KHARTOUM) – Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok arrived Sunday to Brussels for discussions with European Union Foreign Ministers on ways to support Sudan to achieve the democratic transition.
The visit is seen as a window for Hamdok who faces huge internal economic challenges to show Sudanese people that the European Union is supporting his efforts to get the needed economic and financial support to achieve the needed reforms.
The minister according to a statement released in Brussels last week will hold a meeting with the EU Foreign Affairs Council, chaired by Federica Mogherini, the European Union top diplomat.
“The discussion (with Hamdok) will be an opportunity to discuss ways in which the EU could play an active role in supporting and consolidating the political transition in Sudan,” said a statement released by the EU Foreign Affairs Council on 7 November.
Hamdok’s delegation includes Madani Abbas Madani, Minister of Industry and Trade, Lina Sheikh Omer Minister of Labour and Social Development, and Makki Mirghani Osman Planning Undersecretary at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning.
A European Union delegation visited Khartoum on 30 October, and among others, met with the three Sudanese officials who impressed the visiting delegation.
Hamdok and his delegation are expected to brief the EU official about the immediate and mid terms needs but also the preparation of the next-month meeting of the Friends of Sudan group in Khartoum.
The French Foreign Ministry issued a statement about the meeting saying that Paris will be represented by Amélie de Montchalin, Minister of State for European Affairs.
The informal meeting with Hamdok “will provide an opportunity to express the EU’s concrete support for the political transition underway in this country,” said the statement.
The Sudanese news agency SUNA reported that Hamdok on Sunday met with Patrick Gomes the Secretary-General of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States which based in Brussels.
According to the official agency, Gomez invited Hamdok to take part in the upcoming ACP meeting which will take place in Nairobi next year to ratify a new cooperation agreement with the European Union as the Cotonou Agreement is expiring.
Sudan by taking part in this meeting will be a full member while of the new agreement while the procedural measures to join the Cotonou Agreement are complicated and will take nearly a year to finalize it.
(ST)