Sudan’s army confirmed its agreement to conduct joint military exercises with the South Sudan Army and to work on resolving outstanding security files between the two countries.
Both states are working towards implementing joint Juba-Khartoum cooperation agreements before the end of 2018.
Sudanese Army chief Lieutenant General Kamal Abdel Marouf said the talks with his South Sudan counterpart General Gabriel Jok Riak in Khartoum on Tuesday were fruitful and discussed areas of joint training and the formation of joint forces.
The two reiterated efforts being exerted on enforcing solutions for all outstanding issues between the two countries.
A deal was reached on the "implementation of joint cooperation agreements between the two countries,” said Sudanese army spokesman Brigadier General Ahmad Khalifa Al-Sham in a press statement.
Good cooperation between Sudan and South Sudan armies is the key for a strong relationship between the two neighbors.
Riak discussed the implementation of the security arrangement following a recent agreement to launch the operationalization of the buffer zone between the two countries last September in Addis Ababa.
According to a statement, he said the Sudanese efforts to narrow the gaps between the South Sudanese parties in the Intergovernmental Authority on Development-led peace process has encouraged Juba to go ahead in the implementation of the security arrangements and to strengthen relations with Khartoum.
Talks focused on developing bilateral relations and building good ties between armed forces in both countries as a gateway for settling other files of common interest.
Sudan and South Sudan agreed in September 2012 to establish a demilitarized zone on the disputed and non-delimited border to prevent cross-border attacks by paramilitary groups from both sides.
