Sudan, Qatar sign military cooperation agreement
November 2, 2014 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan’s defence minister, Abdel Rahim Hussein, signed a military cooperation agreement with his Qatari counterpart, Hamad bin Ali al-Attiyah, in Doha on Sunday.
The signing ceremony was attended by the chief-of-staff of the Qatari armed forces, Maj. Gen. Ghanim bin Shaheen al-Ghanim, Sudanese ambassador to Qatar Yasir Khadr Khalaf Allah, as well as a number of senior military officers from both countries.
The Sudanese minister praised the strong relations between Sudan and Qatar, adding this deal confirms the common desire to elevate them towards wider horizons for the benefit of the two brotherly peoples.
In a statement to the official Qatar News Agency (QNA), Hussein said the deal “represents a significant step towards strengthening the existing relations between Doha and Khartoum, especially between the two armed forces”.
He also hailed the Qatari efforts to end Darfur conflict and to achieve peace in Sudan.
No details were disclosed about the military agreement.
The signed deal is the first of its kind between Sudan and a Gulf Arab country. It is not clear if it represents a shift in the strong military relations with Iran, but in any case it benefits to the Sudanese army, observers say.
Sudan in the past provided military personnel to the Qatari army.
Qatar is also a strong ally of the United States in the region as it hosts the military bases of the American forces in the Gulf.
In July, the United States signed an agreement to sell the Gulf Arab state Apache attack helicopters and Patriot and Javelin air-defence systems valued at $11 billion.
(ST)