Sudan, Belarus sign cooperation agreement on minerals
May 1, 2017 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan’s Minerals Ministry and Belarusian Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Monday signed a joint agreement on minerals investment and development.
Sudan’s mineral minister Ahmed Sadiq al-Karouri signed on behalf of the Sudanese government while the Belarusian minister of environment Andrei Kovkhuto signed on behalf of his government.
The agreement included five areas of cooperation including investments, environmental studies, laboratory development, legislative cooperation in the field and the introduction of new technologies.
In press statements following the signing ceremony, the Director General of Geological Research Authority of Sudan Mohamed Abu Fatima said investments would be implemented at certain blocs after conducting the necessary studies, pointing that environmental and technical studies would be developed to treat the waste in the conventional mining sector.
He added the two sides will cooperate to train the technical cadre and introduce new technologies to support the laboratories, saying they will also work together to develop policies and legislation to attract investments in natural resources and particularly in the mineral sector.
Abu Fatima further said the two ministries will cooperate to acquire satellites and benefit from the Belarusian experience in the field of remote sensing.
Earlier this year, Belarus and Sudan signed an agreement on friendly relations and cooperation. The document was signed by Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko and Sudan’s President Omer al-Bashir in Khartoum.
Belarus is one of the Sudan armament providers. A military cooperation protocol covering training, exchange of experiences, and military science fields was inked between the two countries on June 15, 2006.
(ST)