Sudan-Ethiopia committee reach agreements as Desalegn arrives in Khartoum
December 2, 2013 (KHARTOUM) – The Joint Sudanese – Ethiopian Higher Committee (JSEHC) has concluded its meetings at the experts level, and reached several economic and political agreements and understandings aiming to develop bilateral relations, as the Ethiopian Prime Minister will arrive on Tuesday.
The Sudanese side of experts committee was headed by the general director of bilateral relations at Sudan’s ministry of foreign affairs, Abdel-Mahmoud Abdel-Halim while the Ethiopian side was headed by director of the African department at Ethiopia’s foreign ministry, Solomon Ababa.
The two delegations reached agreements to enhance trade in areas of transportation, customs, standards and metrology, civil aviation, media, and communication. The understandings covered social, cultural, sports, and tourism domains.
The meeting further applauded progress in work of the joint borders committees in the previous meetings and underscored the need to enhance cooperation between border regions.
The Sudanese foreign ministry spokesperson, Abu Bakr Al-Siddig, on Monday also denied existence of border disputes between the two countries, pointing that there are small differences on limited points at the border area.
Farmers from two sides of the border used to dispute the ownership of land in the Al-Fashaga area located in the south-eastern part of Sudan’s eastern state of Gedaref.
Ambassador Al-Siddig, disclosed that technical committees which are currently meeting in Khartoum have embarked on putting border signs for the border re-demarcation in order to organise trade and movement between the two countries.
He added that the two countries agreed to coordinate positions on the regional and international issues particularly the situation in Somalia besides signing a memorandum of understanding for cooperation and coordination between the foreign ministries, pointing that the Sudanese side briefed its Ethiopian counterpart on the progress of cooperation with South Sudan.
This fifth JSEHC meetings would witness the signing of a strategic framework agreement by president, Omer Hassan Al-Bashir, and Ethiopia’s Prime Minister, Hailemariam Desalegn.
Desalegn will arrive in Khartoum on Tuesday at the head of a high level delegation to participate in the meetings JSEHC and inaugurate the power linkage network between the two countries.
The JSEHC meetings at ministerial level would begin on Tuesday. The Sudanese side would be headed by the foreign minister, Ali Karti, while the Ethiopian side would be headed by the foreign minister, Tedros Adhanom.
(ST)