Bashir says agreements with al-Sisi built on solid foundations
October 19, 2014 (KHARTOUM) – Sudanese president Omer Hassan al-Bashir and the Egyptian president, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, have expressed keenness to promote joint cooperation between the two countries stressing existence of strong political will to achieve distinctive integration in various fields.
The two presidents held another meeting on Sunday in the presence of the foreign ministers to assess the outcome of the visit.
Bashir said they fully agreed in all issues pertaining to bilateral ties as well as regional and international relations, pointing to existence of strong political will to strengthen ties in order to achieve interests of the two countries and peoples.
He urged the media to play a positive role in supporting and enhancing relations between the two countries.
“What we agreed upon, myself and president Sisi, will not be [adversely] impacted by the [negative] media because this agreement is built on solid foundation that wouldn’t be shaken by winds or storms whatsoever”, he added.
Bashir emphasised they agreed to remove all obstacles which hinder communications and mutual benefits, saying the presidential committee demonstrates the strong will to follow-up on what we have agreed upon.
For his part, Sisi called on the media to be diligent on every word uttered in order to enhance relations between the two countries.
Egyptian media carried out a hostile campaign against president Bashir for statements he made about the disputed area of Halaib.
The Egyptian president further said they held extensive discussions that culminated in upgrading the joint ministerial committee into a presidential one.
He added they also discussed the situation in Libya, pointing they agreed to the need for achieving stability and supporting the legitimate institutions and the Libyan national army.
Al-Sisi expressed his delight at Bashir’s visit, saying it comes at a time when the political and economic will in both countries are combined to achieve shared interests and economic growth for the benefit of the two peoples.
INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES
Bashir also held a meeting with the Egyptian businessmen and discussed investment opportunities in Sudan.
He underscored Sudan keenness to remove all obstacles facing Egyptian investments in the country, stressing ties between the two countries will soon return to normal.
The Sudanese president expressed pleasure to visit Egypt, describing the recent visit of president al-Sisi to Sudan as “unprecedented”.
Bashir briefed the Egyptian businessmen on the recent political and economic developments in Sudan, pointing the country lost 80% of its foreign exchange revenues following session of South Sudan.
He said Sudan had implemented a trilateral economic program to overcome the economic crisis, stressing the program achieved its objectives and the value of the Sudanese pound started to strengthen against the US dollar.
Bashir also spoke about the investment environment in Sudan, saying we look forward to a new beginning for a prosperous future between the two countries.
The Sudanese minister of investment, Mustafa Osman Ismail, said the two presidents held a deep discussion on bilateral relations besides the political developments in the region particularly the situation in Iraq, Syria, Libya and Yemen.
He said in statements upon return of Bashir to Khartoum, that the latter discussed with the Egyptian businessmen the investment opportunities in Sudan, noting he pledged to remove all obstacles facing Egyptian investments in Sudan.
Ismail added the president emphasized the Sudanese economy is improving, saying it will have positive impact on investment climate in the country.
According to Ismail, Bashir called upon Egyptian businessmen to utilize the four freedom agreement and investment opportunities in Sudan, stressing the west Nile land road linking the two countries will be inaugurated during the first half of the first year.
He said the road will play an important role in transporting goods between the two countries.
(ST)