Sudan’s Al-Bashir embarks on Gulf tour
KHARTOUM: Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir arrived in Kuwait on Sunday on the first-leg of a two-day Gulf tour that will also take him to Qatar, according to media reports.
During his meetings with the emirs of Kuwait and Qatar, Al-Bashir is likely to discuss recent regional developments, issues of common concern, bilateral ties, and peace and development efforts in Sudan, according to reports quoting the official news agency SUNA.
In June, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the UAE and Egypt severed ties with Qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorist groups and arch-rival Iran. Doha denies the charges.
Sudan has supported Kuwaiti mediation efforts, and has largely distanced itself from the ongoing diplomatic crisis.
“The current visit to the two Gulf countries is part of a resurgent Sudan seeking a strong relationship with the US and its allies in the Middle East,” said Dr. Osman Abuzaid, a Sudanese national working as editor in chief for an Arabic magazine in Makkah.
Al-Bashir is accompanied by a high-ranking delegation including Minister of the Presidency Fadl Abdullah Fadl, Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ahmed Ghandour, Director of the National Security and Intelligence Service Mohammed Atta Al-Mawla, and Hatem Hassan Bakhit, director general of the office of the president.
Sudan has suffered under US trade sanctions for two decades and only recently the sancions were lifted.
Sudanese officials have acknowledged Saudi Arabia’s role in having the sanctions lifted.
Al-Bashir too “expressed thanks and gratitude to the king for his fraternal sentiments, and to the Saudi government for the efforts exerted to back lifting the sanctions imposed on the African country,” the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
Sudan remains committed to support its allies in the Gulf region. The country is one of the main partners in the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, according to Abuzaid.