Sudan’s FM starts Turkey visit
October 12, 2010 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese Foreign Minister Ali Ahmed Karti started a visit to Turkey during which he will deliver a message from president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir to his counterpart Abdullah Gul.
Khalid revealed that Karti will brief the Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on recent political developments in Sudan in light of Turkey’s membership in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
Karti will also meet the Turkish agricultural minister, as the head of the Turkish side in the joint committee, along with local businessmen to explore investment opportunities.
The Turkish foreign ministry said in a statement that during the visit, the “Memorandum of Understanding on the Cooperation Between the Diplomacy Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey and National Center for Diplomatic Studies of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Sudan” and the “Agreement of Mutual Exemption of Visa for Diplomatic Passports between the Republic of Turkey and the Republic of the Sudan” are expected to be signed.
“Within the framework of the visit, the meetings on the 13th of October in Ankara will provide an occasion for the assessment and strengthening of all aspects of our bilateral relations, as well as for the evaluation of new cooperation areas and the improvement of the legal basis of our relations. In the meetings, current regional and international developments, particularly the main issues in the African Continent will also be discussed,” the Turkish foreign ministry said.
“The referenda to be held in the Sudan in the coming months, are important not only for the Sudan with which we share close and deep-rooted relations throughout history, but also for the whole African Continent. In this context, the visit of Foreign Minister Karti, will provide the opportunity for confirming Turkey’s sincere support to the peace process in the Sudan”.
More than 2,000 Turkish businessmen and 80 Turkish companies are active in Sudan with an investment of around $115 million.
Turkey also plans to expand its African presence by opening diplomatic missions in Mozambique, Cameroon, Ghana, Central African Republic, Uganda, Ivory Coast, Niger, Angola, Madagascar and Mali.
(ST)