Sudan’s Bashir renews desire to boost economic cooperation with Saudi Arabia
May 4, 2016 (KHARTOUM) – Sudanese President Omer al-Bashir has renewed his country’s keenness to cooperate and coordinate with Saudi Arabia in all domains and in particular the economic field to achieve the joint interests of both nations.
Following the meeting, Al-Naimi told reporters that he conveyed greetings of the Saudi King Salman Bin Abdul-Aziz and his Crown Prince Mohamed Bin Nayef to Bashir, saying he also briefed him on the Kingdom’s new economic vision aiming at diversifying the sources of income.
Last month, the oil-dependent Kingdom revealed a long-term plan to transform itself into a diversified economy, with non-oil government revenues projected to increase six-fold by 2030.
According to the official news agency (SUNA), Al-Naimi expressed his country’s desire to invest in mineral wealth in Sudan and to utilize the economic resources in both nations through joint cooperation.
For his part, Al-Karouri said that Sudan is ready to provide the necessary incentives and remove all obstacles facing Saudi investments in order to achieve the joint interests.
He announced that the two countries agreed to revive the Atlantis II project on the basis of new understandings, saying the project is on the top agenda of the Saudi minister visit to Sudan.
In February 2012, Khartoum and Riyadh signed an agreement known as Atlantis II on exploring minerals in the joint territorial water in the Red Sea.
The project goes back to 1970s, when Sudanese government had plans to exploit the Red Sea bed with Preussag AG, a German mining company but it was abandoned due to the lack of suitable exploration technologies at the time.
In 2010, the Canadian Diamond Fields International and Saudi Manafa International Ltd. were licensed by the Saudi Sudanese Committee to conduct exploration activities in Red Sea rift valley.
In a feasibility study conducted in 2012, Diamond Fields International expected that Saudi Arabia and Sudan will make big profits from the extraction of copper, silver and zinc from Red Sea bed. At the time, it expected to start production in 2014 once technical studies are terminated.
Sudan’s foreign relations have witnessed a remarkable shift since last fall particularly in its rapprochement with the Arab Gulf states following years of chilly ties.
The east African nation participates with over 850 troops in the Saudi-led “Decisive Storm” against the Iranian-allied Houthi militants in Yemen.
The Sudanese military participation in the military campaign in Yemen and the Islamic alliance reconciled Bashir’s regime with the Saudi government, and marked the divorce with Iran.
(ST)