Emir of Qatar receives message from Sudanese president

June 9, 2018 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan’s Foreign Minister Al-Dirdiri Mohamed Ahmed has conveyed a verbal message from President Omer al-Bashir to Qatar’s Emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani.

In a press release issued on Friday, Sudan’s Foreign Ministry said the message pertains to ways to consolidate bilateral relations between the two countries.

According to the press release, the Sudanese top diplomat discussed with his Qatari counterpart Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani regional and international developments as well as a promotion of bilateral ties.

Last October, al-Bashir visited Doha within a Gulf tour that also took him to Riyadh and Kuwait.

At the time, observers spoke about a possible mediation he is undertaking to settle the crisis between Qatar and a Saudi-led alliance including the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.

Qatar has been one of the few countries where Sudan enjoys relatively warm relations with. For years the rich Arab Gulf state has hosted peace talks between the Sudanese government and Darfur rebel groups which eventually resulted in the signing of a peace accord in 2011.

Last year, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, UAE and Egypt severed ties with Qatar accusing it of supporting Islamist terrorist groups and arch-foe Iran. But Doha vehemently denies the charges.

Sudan is among the Arab states that refused to take part in the ongoing diplomatic crisis and declared its support for the Kuwaiti efforts to settle the rift.

(ST)