Sudan, Russia Agree on Port Sudan Naval Base

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (R) and his Sudanese counterpart Ali Yusuf al-Sharif shake hands during press conference in Moscow, on February 12, 2025. (Photo by Maxim Shemetov / POOL / AFP)
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (R) and his Sudanese counterpart Ali Yusuf al-Sharif shake hands during press conference in Moscow, on February 12, 2025. (Photo by Maxim Shemetov / POOL / AFP)
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Sudan, Russia Agree on Port Sudan Naval Base

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (R) and his Sudanese counterpart Ali Yusuf al-Sharif shake hands during press conference in Moscow, on February 12, 2025. (Photo by Maxim Shemetov / POOL / AFP)
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (R) and his Sudanese counterpart Ali Yusuf al-Sharif shake hands during press conference in Moscow, on February 12, 2025. (Photo by Maxim Shemetov / POOL / AFP)

Sudan and Russia have reached a final agreement on the establishment of a Russian naval base in Port Sudan on the Red Sea, Sudanese Foreign Minister Ali Yusuf al-Sharif announced on Wednesday.

The plan has been discussed for years but never materialized due to the volatile security situation in Sudan.

The deal allows Russia to set up a naval base with up to 300 Russian troops, and to simultaneously keep up to four navy ships, including nuclear-powered ones, in the strategic Port Sudan.

“There are no obstacles, we are in complete agreement,” Sharif said following talks in Moscow with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov.

He did not elaborate on the terms of the current agreement, and whether the two sides had introduced new amendments to the deal reached between the two countries in 2017.

Lavrov avoided mentioning the military base, but said that during the meeting with Sharif, both sides paid special attention to the war in Sudan.

“We are interested in normalizing the situation in this friendly country, our good traditional partner in Africa, as soon as possible,” the Russian FM said.

“We reaffirmed our principled position on the need for an early cessation of hostilities along with the launch of a national dialogue, which should include representatives of all political, ethnic and religious groups in Sudan,” Lavrov said.

He noted that according to Sharif, the Sudanese leadership published two days ago a roadmap that should pave the way for progress in this direction.

Last December, Russia's embassy in Sudan refuted media reports alleging that the Sudanese authorities refused to host a Russian naval logistics support base.

Earlier in June, Mohamed Siraj, Sudan’s Ambassador to Russia, reaffirmed his country’s dedication to constructing a Russian naval base on the Red Sea.

In 2017, Khartoum and Moscow agreed during a visit by Sudan's ousted former president Omar al-Bashir to Moscow, to establish the base. But in 2021, weeks after Khartoum decided to freeze the deal, Moscow rushed to approve the binding agreement to establish the base in Sudan by passing it through all the legal mechanisms.

Russian President Vladimir Putin referred the agreement to the State Duma for ratification, in the second step of the final approval of the agreement after the Russian government formally ratified it a week earlier.

The Sudanese leadership had informed Moscow of its official position to freeze the deal through military and diplomatic channels.

A Russian source told Asharq Al-Awsat at the time that after referring the document to the Duma and Senate, Moscow is seeking to give it full legal force. This will allow Russia to negotiate later with Sudan to introduce some amendments.

Meanwhile in the Sudanese capital, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces Mohamed Othman al-Hussein said that “Khartoum intends to review the agreement,” noting that it was approved by the previous government and not the parliament.

Despite Sudan’s position, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced that the agreement remains binding for both parties because it was signed on July 23, 2019, by the representative of the Transitional Military Council, that is, after the change of the political system in Sudan.

Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova noted that the document has not yet been ratified by the Sudanese party because there is currently no legislative authority in the country with such powers.
Zakharova hinted at Russia’s readiness to show flexibility in revising the text of the agreement and said Moscow was interested in strengthening cooperation with Khartoum.
She explained that even before the agreement enters into force, changes can be introduced to its text at the discretion of both parties.

The agreement stipulates establishing a logistics center for the Russian fleet on the coast of Sudan in the Red Sea. It grants Russia the right to use an operational logistic center in Port Sudan, provided that the maximum number of working personnel does not exceed 300 soldiers, and no more than four Russian warships will be able to stay there at one time.
The agreement is valid for 25 years, with the possibility of extension.



Syria Joins a Donor Conference for the First Time in a Crucial Phase for Its New Leaders

EU High Representative and Vice-President for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas (C), Syria's interim Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani (C-R), Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi (C-L) and representatives pose for a family picture on the sidelines of the Brussels IX Conference “Standing with Syria: meeting the needs for a successful transition”, at the Europa Building in Brussels on March 17, 2025. (AFP)
EU High Representative and Vice-President for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas (C), Syria's interim Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani (C-R), Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi (C-L) and representatives pose for a family picture on the sidelines of the Brussels IX Conference “Standing with Syria: meeting the needs for a successful transition”, at the Europa Building in Brussels on March 17, 2025. (AFP)
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Syria Joins a Donor Conference for the First Time in a Crucial Phase for Its New Leaders

EU High Representative and Vice-President for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas (C), Syria's interim Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani (C-R), Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi (C-L) and representatives pose for a family picture on the sidelines of the Brussels IX Conference “Standing with Syria: meeting the needs for a successful transition”, at the Europa Building in Brussels on March 17, 2025. (AFP)
EU High Representative and Vice-President for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas (C), Syria's interim Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani (C-R), Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi (C-L) and representatives pose for a family picture on the sidelines of the Brussels IX Conference “Standing with Syria: meeting the needs for a successful transition”, at the Europa Building in Brussels on March 17, 2025. (AFP)

International donors gathered on Monday in a show of support for Syria, hoping to encourage the new leaders of the conflict-ravaged country toward a peaceful political transition following the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad in December.

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani attended the conference — the ninth of its kind — in a first for a top official from Damascus.

But the United States, one of Syria’s top donors, wasn’t expected to offer assistance as the Trump administration is reviewing all foreign aid. It contributed almost $1.2 billion to Syria and the region last year.

Ministers and representatives from Western partners, Syria’s regional neighbors, other Arab countries and UN agencies also attended the one-day meeting in Brussels, organized in haste by the European Union amid change sweeping the country.

Opening the meeting, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that the EU was increasing its pledge to Syrians in the country and the region to almost 2.5 billion euros ($2.7 billion) for 2025 and 2026.

“We call on all of you who are here today to do the same, if possible, because at this critical time, the people of Syria need us more than ever,” von der Leyen said.

Syria's new leaders are trying to consolidate control over territory that was divided into de facto mini-states during nearly 14 years of civil war, and to rebuild the economy and infrastructure. The United Nations has estimated that it would cost at least $250 billion to rebuild Syria, while experts say that could reach at least $400 billion.

At the same time, Western governments are cutting back on aid spending, in part to use in defense budgets.

“We will give more, but we cannot fill the gap left by the US,” EU Crisis Management Commissioner Hadja Lahbib told reporters. "We will need to share the burden.”

Security concerns are also making donors hesitate. Earlier this month, an ambush on a Syrian security patrol by gunmen loyal to Assad triggered clashes. Some factions allied with the new government launched sectarian revenge attacks — primarily targeting Assad’s Alawite minority sect — that monitoring groups say killed hundreds of civilians over several days.

The EU said that it will only support “a peaceful and inclusive transition, away from malign foreign interference, which guarantees the rights of all Syrians without distinction of any kind.”

The 27-nation bloc has begun to ease energy, transport and financial sector sanctions to encourage the new authorities, but many other Western sanctions remain in place. The EU can reintroduce sanctions if things don’t go to the liking of Western backers.

Syria's foreign minister said that lifting the measures is no longer just a government demand but "a humanitarian and moral necessity.”

"We cannot talk about economic recovery and humanitarian development in Syria while restrictions continue to prevent even the arrival of medical equipment and spare parts to repair damaged hospitals and essential service facilities,” he said.

Syria's economy, infrastructure and institutions are in tatters. As a failed state, it could become another haven for extremists.

Amy Pope, director-general of the International Organization for Migration, urged donors to seize this opportunity to encourage the interim government to move in the right direction.

“It’s critical that countries take advantage of the moment we’re in,” Pope told The Associated Press.

“Of course, we all want to see an inclusive Syria,” she said. “We want to make sure there’s accountability for human rights violations. But the answer is to engage more, not to engage less.”

Syrians have only a few hours of electricity each day. Water supplies are unreliable and often unsafe. Unemployment runs to 80% or 90%. Destruction is widespread.

Many government employees and experts needed to rebuild fled after the 2011 peaceful anti-regime protests were violently quelled by Assad, leading to the conflict.

The UN refugee agency said that last year around 7 million people were displaced in Syria. More than 4.7 million refugees are registered in neighboring countries, most in Türkiye, Lebanon and Jordan.

The German government said that it would pledge around 300 million euros ($326 million) to help deal with the fallout from Syria’s civil war. More than half will be used to help people in Syria, with other funding supporting Syrians and communities elsewhere.

Monday's conference was also focused on meeting Syria’s economic needs. Infrastructure, health and education must be scaled up. Jobs and cash for work programs are needed so that Syrians can start to make a living.