Egyptian army chief of staff in Sudan to discuss security cooperation

‘Military relations between the two countries will witness a qualitative leap,’ says Gen. Mohamed Farid

Egypt and Sudan agreed on Sunday to strengthen areas of bilateral cooperation and develop military relations.

Chief of Staff of the Egyptian Armed Forces Mohamed Farid said during a joint press conference with his Sudanese counterpart, Muhammad Othman Al-Hussein, in Khartoum on Sunday that during the coming period military relations between the two countries would witness a qualitative leap. “During the visit, everything required to develop the deeprooted relationship between Sudan and Egypt was discussed ... all axes of military cooperation, and the development of the relationship between the armed forces in Egypt and Sudan,” said Al-Hussein.

The chief of staff arrived in Khartoum on Saturday at the head of a high-ranking military delegation on a two-day visit to Sudan.

The visit comes at a time when strenuous efforts are being made to remove Sudan from the US State Department’s List of State Sponsors of Terrorism, which means allowing Khartoum to integrate more with the international community and neighboring countries in Africa.

The Egyptian Ministry of Defense stated that the discussions concerned the results of the recent visit of Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, chairman of the Sudanese Sovereign Council, to Cairo.

“The Egyptian and Sudanese leaderships agree on the need to accelerate the development of areas of military and security cooperation, in order to enhance the capabilities of the two sides to face challenges to their national security and their common interests,” the ministry said.

It added that the head of the Egyptian delegation also met the Sudanese Minister of Defense Yassin Ibrahim Yassin in Khartoum. The two sides reviewed the specificity of the ties that bind the countries and their armed forces, and provide the appropriate conditions and climate to unleash good prospects for joint military cooperation.

The Egyptian Ministry of Defense stated that the talks would end on Monday, with an expanded meeting between the two parties to review the final results of the talks and the timetable for their implementation.

In conjunction with the talks, on Sunday Al-Burhan began a visit to Ethiopia at the head of a high-level Sudanese delegation.

Talks are also scheduled to resume over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, which stalled in August due to the failure of the three participants — Sudan, Egypt and Ethiopia — to reach a binding agreement on points of difference.

A statement issued by the Sudanese Ministry of Irrigation and Water indicated that the negotiations will focus on setting a clear and detailed agenda according to a tight and specific timetable for the negotiation path.