Saudi Arabia security “part and parcel” of Sudan’s security: Minister
January 3, 2018 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan’s Minister of International Cooperation Idris Sulieman Wednesday stressed the strategic relations between Riyadh and Khartoum saying Saudi Arabia’s security is part and parcel of Sudan’s national security.
Sulieman told reporters following his meeting with Saudi Arabia Ambassador to Khartoum Ali bin Hassan Jafar that Saudi Arabia is the largest trade partner of Sudan, pointing to its tremendous investments in the various fields in Sudan.
According to Ashorooq TV, Sulieman said the joint Sudanese-Saudi ministerial committee is making great efforts to promote economic cooperation, calling for the need to activate banking transactions between the two countries to raise the volume of trade exchange.
For his part, the Saudi Ambassador said his meeting with Sulieman comes within the framework of promoting the bilateral relations between the two countries, describing the meeting as fruitful and positive.
He pointed to the upcoming visit of Sudan’s State Minister of Investment Osama Faisal to Saudi Arabia during the coming period to meet with the chambers of commerce in Riyadh and Jeddah.
In recent years, Sudan has developed close diplomatic ties with both Saudi Arabia, especially after it broke its decades-old relations with Iran.
Saudi Arabia is the largest Arab investor in Sudan with more than 590 projects.
In 2016, Saudi investments in Sudan increased to $15bn compared to $11bn in 2015.
Also, the Sudanese army has been participating in the Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen since 2015 in a regional effort to back the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi after he was ousted from the capital Sanaa by the Iran-backed Shiite Houthi rebels.
(ST)