Gargash Meets Hemedti, Pledges UAE Support for Sudan

 UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash speaks during a press conference in the UAE (AP)
UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash speaks during a press conference in the UAE (AP)
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Gargash Meets Hemedti, Pledges UAE Support for Sudan

 UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash speaks during a press conference in the UAE (AP)
UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash speaks during a press conference in the UAE (AP)

The United Arab Emirates has stressed its full commitment to support Sudan’s development projects. UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash arrived on Monday to Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, in a two-day visit.

Gargash met with Deputy Head of the Transitional Military Council (TMC) Lieutenant General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, commonly known as “Hemedti”, along with a number of ministers in the transitional government. He said his country is aware of the current conditions Sudan is going through, stressing the necessity of joining efforts of friendly and brotherly countries to support it during this stage.

Following his talks with Sudanese Finance Minister Ibrahim el-Badawi, Gargash affirmed the UAE government’s persistence to develop relations with Sudan.

“The UAE is fully committed to Sudan’s success and to its economic and regional take-off to be able to play its natural role as one of the biggest and most important Arab countries,” Gargash told reporters.

He pointed to the firm historical ties and common interests between the UAE and Sudan, especially their geostrategic and economic relations.

The UAE Minister said his visit comes as part of a series of exchanged visits between officials from both countries to discuss various economic and political issues. He is scheduled to meet a large number of Sudanese officials to discuss means of bolstering bilateral cooperation. He also expressed pride in the Sudanese community in the UAE, which amounts to about 100,000 people, praising their contributions to his country’s experience. Badawi, for his part, said Gargash’s visit comes in the framework of UAE officials’ interest in supporting the great transformation in Sudan, adding that their meeting tackled developments of relations and means of cooperation in various fields.

Gargash also held talks with Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ambassador al-Siddiq Abdul-Aziz, tackling means of boosting bilateral relations. According to the foreign ministry, the two sides discussed regional and international issues of common concern and developments in the Arab and North African regions.



Iraq's Population Reaches 45.4 Million in First Census in over 30 Years

Workers prepare to collect information from the public as Iraq began its first nationwide population census in decades, in Baghdad, Iraq Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (AP)
Workers prepare to collect information from the public as Iraq began its first nationwide population census in decades, in Baghdad, Iraq Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (AP)
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Iraq's Population Reaches 45.4 Million in First Census in over 30 Years

Workers prepare to collect information from the public as Iraq began its first nationwide population census in decades, in Baghdad, Iraq Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (AP)
Workers prepare to collect information from the public as Iraq began its first nationwide population census in decades, in Baghdad, Iraq Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (AP)

Iraq's population has risen to 45.4 million, according to preliminary results from a national census, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said on Monday.
The census, conducted on Nov. 20, was Iraq's first nationwide survey in more than three decades, marking a crucial step for future planning and development.
Prior to the census, the planning ministry estimated the population at 43 million.
The last census, conducted in 1997, did not include the Iraqi Kurdistan region, which has been under Kurdish administration since the 1991 Gulf War.
It counted 19 million Iraqis and officials estimated there were another 3 million in the Kurdish north, according to official statistics.