Date of Putin’s visit to Sudan to be fixed through diplomatic channels

March 24, 2018 (KHARTOUM) – The date of President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Sudan will be determined through diplomatic channels, said the Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

Last Thursday, the Kremlin reported that President Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with his Sudanese counterpart Omer al-Bashir who congratulated him “on his convincing victory in the presidential election”.

In Khartoum, the official news agency SUNA said Putin accepted an invitation to visit Sudan and to hold talks on developing relations and building a strategic partnership.

In press statements on Friday, Peskov confirmed the invitation adding that the two sides will determine its date later.

“The date of the visit was not discussed by the two presidents (during the telephone conversation) and will be agreed later through diplomatic channels,” he said.

During a visit to Moscow last November, al-Bashir proposed to host a Russian naval military base on the Red Sea. He also requested Moscow to protect Sudan diplomatically from Washington at the UN Security Council.

In addition, the two leaders discussed the sale of sophisticated weapons to the Sudanese army and Russian investments in the mining industry in Sudan including gold and uranium.

(ST)