Burhan, High-level Sudanese Delegation, to Visit Turkey at End of Month

Chairman of the Sovereignty Council in Sudan, Abdel Fattah Burhan. (AFP)
Chairman of the Sovereignty Council in Sudan, Abdel Fattah Burhan. (AFP)
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Burhan, High-level Sudanese Delegation, to Visit Turkey at End of Month

Chairman of the Sovereignty Council in Sudan, Abdel Fattah Burhan. (AFP)
Chairman of the Sovereignty Council in Sudan, Abdel Fattah Burhan. (AFP)

Chairman of the Sovereignty Council in Sudan, Abdel Fattah Burhan is scheduled to pay an official visit to Turkey at the end of the month at the invitation of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Heading a high-level delegation, his talks will cover the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) crisis, as well as joint and bilateral relations.

Dubai-based Asharq television said Burhan will be accompanied by the ministers of finance, defense, agriculture, health and higher education.

“The Burhan-Erdogan talks will cover joint relations between both countries, in addition to the GERD crisis between Sudan, Egypt and Ethiopia,” it reported

On Sunday, Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok was briefed on the arrangements for the visit, his office announced.

It did not specify the date of the trip.

Hamdok reviewed agreements signed between Sudan and Turkey.

Deputy Chairman of the Sovereignty Council, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, “Hemedti”, had visited Turkey in May. He was accompanied by a delegation that included the ministers of agriculture, energy, livestock, transport and urban development.

Hemedti had praised the historic relations with Turkey and said he was looking forward to developing them further.

Upon his return to Sudan, he declared that an understanding had been reached to update all previous agreements. He did not elaborate.

Ankara and Khartoum had developed their ties under the regime of ousted president Omar al-Bashir.

After his removal, ties grew strained due to relations between Islamists in Sudan and Turkey. Tensions were further stoked when Ankara hosted several Sudanese Islamist officials, who had fled Khartoum following the fall of the Bashir regime.

Hemedti appeared to have eased the tensions when he made his surprise visit.



US Links Ankara-Damascus Normalization to Political Solution in Syria

Meeting between Erdogan and Assad in 2010 (Archive)
Meeting between Erdogan and Assad in 2010 (Archive)
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US Links Ankara-Damascus Normalization to Political Solution in Syria

Meeting between Erdogan and Assad in 2010 (Archive)
Meeting between Erdogan and Assad in 2010 (Archive)

Recent statements by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on his willingness to meet Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to normalize relations between the two countries have sparked mixed reactions.
While the Syrian opposition sees the possibility of such a meeting despite the challenges, Damascus views the statements as a political maneuver by the Turks. Meanwhile, the United States has tied the normalization process to achieving a political solution in Syria based on UN Security Council Resolution 2254, issued in 2015.
Turkish media reported on Thursday that a US administration official, who was not named, confirmed that Washington is against normalizing relations with the Syrian regime under Assad. He emphasized that Washington cannot accept normalizing ties with Damascus without progress toward a political solution that ends the conflicts in Syria.
Meanwhile, the head of the National Coalition of Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces, Hadi al-Bahra, stated that a meeting between Assad and Erdogan is possible despite the obstacles. In a statement to Reuters on Thursday, Bahra said the meeting is feasible, even though Ankara is fully aware that the Assad regime cannot currently meet its demands and understands the regime’s limitations.
Bahra pointed out that the UN-led political process remains frozen and that he had briefed US and Western officials on the latest developments in the Syrian file. On Saturday, Bahra participated in a consultative meeting in Ankara with the Syrian Negotiation Commission, along with a high-level delegation from the US State Department, during which they exchanged views on the political solution and the need to establish binding mechanisms for implementing international resolutions related to the Syrian issue.
On the other side, Assad’s special advisor, Bouthaina Shaaban, dismissed Erdogan’s announcement that Ankara is awaiting a response from Damascus regarding his meeting with Assad for normalization as another political maneuver with ulterior motives.
Shaaban, speaking during a lecture at the Omani Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which was reported by Turkish media on Thursday, stated that any rapprochement between the two countries is contingent on its withdrawal of forces from Syrian territory.