South Sudan’s Kiir, Putin to cooperate over Sudan peace process

September 29, 2023 (JUBA) – President Salva Kiir and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin on Thursday agreed to cooperate towards ending Sudan’s conflict.

Kiir and the Russian leader discussed a wide range of bilateral matters in Moscow, during which the two presidents agreed to strengthen the existing relations between their nations in areas of trade, investment, energy, among other sectors.

“The conflict in Sudan and how to tackle it also came up in the discussion and was discussed as part of the vision of the Russian president for peace and security in Africa.  The Russian leader has a broad and holistic vision of how Sudan’s conflict can be addressed,” said South Sudan’s envoy to Russia, Chol Tong Mayay.

He described the meeting between the two presidents as “cordial and fruitful”.

“The two leaders were relaxed and had their own time because it was one-to-one discussion, allowing them to engage in a frank and straightforward bilateral discussion in which they agreed to cooperate a range of issues,” stressed Mayay.

Also explored, he said, were peace and security in Africa and international affairs.

During the meeting, Mayay said Kiir vowed to bolster stronger ties with Russia through collaborations in different fields to achieve sustainable development.

For his part, Putin expressed Russia’s readiness to expand bilateral relations with South Sudan in areas of economy, development, trade, energy and education.

(ST)