Sudan’s Burhan hopes Red Sea base consolidate relations with Russia
December 4, 2021 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan’s military leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan said they are still reviewing a deal on a naval base on the Red Sea with Russia expressing hope that it would further consolidate bilateral relations.
The activation of the agreement on the logistical support point concluded by the al-Bashir regime with Russia surfaces regularly as the Sudanese officials have remained unclear about it.
Now, as the Sudanese military leaders are under huge international pressure to commit themselves to a constitutional declaration signed with the December revolution groups, the FFC, they resumed speaking more positively about it.
Speaking to Reuters on Saturday, al-Burhan said the review of the agreement has yet to be finalized.
“We hope that our relations (with Russia) will become stronger with the signature of this agreement,” he told Reuters.
“Consultations are continuing and we are working on the agreement until it becomes acceptable and legal.”
During the discussions on Sudan’s removal from the U.S. terror list, the military leaders said the implementation of the list depends on the would-be formed legislative council while it was obviously known that the pro-democracy forces that would form it are hostile to the deal.
In June 2021, Sudanese Chief of Staff Gen Mohamed Osman al-Hussein however told a local TV station, Blue Nile TV that they had been actually in talks with Russia to review the deal to better protect and serve Sudanese interests.
In an interview with Sputnik after the coup in November, al-Burhan stated that Sudan would work to fulfil its commitments in the deal of a Russian naval base on the Red Sea, sending a positive message to Russia as the latter refused to follow western’s condemnation of the military takeover.
Russian Ambassador to Khartoum Vladimir Zheltov on Saturday told the Russian funded RT that the 25-year agreement was about a point of logistical and technical support for the Russian Navy dismissing reports about a naval base.
“Our country is a naval power, and our navy is spread far beyond our borders, so (our) goal from this point whatever (the Western powers) say is to provide our ships in this region with food, water and fuel,”
“With regard to the military bilateral cooperation, this is only a small part,” he added.
(ST)