Saudi-Sudanese Council Forms Committee to Address Saudi Investments in Sudan

A boy stands next to a donkey loaded with jerry cans by the Atbarah river near the village of Dukouli in the Fashaqa al-Sughra agricultural region of Sudan's eastern Gedaref state on March 16, 2021. (AFP / ASHRAF SHAZLY)
A boy stands next to a donkey loaded with jerry cans by the Atbarah river near the village of Dukouli in the Fashaqa al-Sughra agricultural region of Sudan's eastern Gedaref state on March 16, 2021. (AFP / ASHRAF SHAZLY)
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Saudi-Sudanese Council Forms Committee to Address Saudi Investments in Sudan

A boy stands next to a donkey loaded with jerry cans by the Atbarah river near the village of Dukouli in the Fashaqa al-Sughra agricultural region of Sudan's eastern Gedaref state on March 16, 2021. (AFP / ASHRAF SHAZLY)
A boy stands next to a donkey loaded with jerry cans by the Atbarah river near the village of Dukouli in the Fashaqa al-Sughra agricultural region of Sudan's eastern Gedaref state on March 16, 2021. (AFP / ASHRAF SHAZLY)

The Saudi-Sudanese Business Council will form a committee to handle the issues of Saudi investments in Sudan.

Saudi investors in Sudan have expressed concerns about the unstable situation in the country.

An atmosphere of optimism prevailed about a promising future for Saudi investments in Sudan, in light of the positive economic and financial data that emerged recently, after the political agreement that reinstated the Prime Minister back to his position.

The Chairman Council, Hussein Bahri, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Council monitored during the last period several challenges and obstacles facing Saudi investors in Sudan as a result of the current conditions.

The "crisis committee" will hold weekly meetings to address the challenges facing Saudi investments and tackle any complaints.

It called on Saudi investors facing investment problems in Sudan to reach out to the committee.

Bahri stressed the need to protect and secure Saudi investments and solve any issues related to ensure their influential role in supporting the Sudanese economy.

"Saudi investments in Sudan are estimated at more than $4 billion... We are fully confident in the officials' keenness to ensure their operations through the required efficiency and providing its requirements such as fuel, means of transportation, and production requirements," Bahri said.

The Saudi-Sudanese Business Council focused on these issues during recent meetings it held at the Council for Saudi Chambers. Interlocutors discussed the recent developments in Sudan and their potential impacts on Saudi investments, and the options available to deal with the challenges.

The committee is expected to develop a clear strategy to solve the issues facing the investments, with the necessity of activating the Saudi-Sudanese banking mechanisms after Sudan was finally removed from the US list of state sponsors of terrorism.

Saudi investors look forward to correcting the business environment and creating a climate that encourages investment, contributing to solving the economic crisis while offering ideas that attract investment.

Khartoum had earlier confirmed it would look into several lawsuits filed by Saudi investors in Sudan after confiscating their investment lands.

Sudan's minister of investment and international cooperation, Al-Hadi Mohamed Ibrahim, stressed the need to establish a strategic plan to solve the issues of Saudi investment, adding that he looks forward to activating the banking mechanism between the two countries.

Ibrahim estimated that about $35 billion worth of investments were expected to enter the country, but they stopped after the recent political developments.



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.