Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Burhanettin Duran is set to arrive in Port Sudan, the temporary Sudanese capital, on Saturday to hold talks with Sudanese officials.
The visit aims to present proposals from Türkiye for facilitating mediation between Sudan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a role Ankara had previously pledged to undertake.
Duran’s visit follows a December 13 phone call between President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Sudan’s Transitional Sovereignty Council Chairman Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. During the call, Erdogan expressed Türkiye’s willingness to mediate between Sudan and the UAE to resolve tensions and halt the ongoing war.
A diplomatic source from the Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Asharq Al-Awsat on Friday that the Turkish official’s visit focuses on advancing Türkiye’s mediation initiative. The source noted that Duran is expected to deliver a document containing dialogue proposals to the Sudanese government, which will later be shared with the UAE.
The UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs previously issued a statement welcoming Ankara’s initiative and expressed readiness to coordinate with Ankara to end the conflict in Sudan. However, the source emphasized Sudan’s clear stance on mediation, reaffirming its commitment to implementing the terms of the Jeddah Declaration agreed upon between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on May 11, 2023.
Sudanese Foreign Minister Ali Yusuf described the Turkish diplomat’s visit as significant, highlighting the strengthening bilateral ties between the two nations. He emphasized that it reaffirms recent communications between their leadership and bolsters relations between the peoples of Sudan and Türkiye.
“The visit underscores Türkiye’s interest in developments in Sudan and expresses Turkish solidarity with the Sudanese people,” the official Sudanese news agency (SUNA) quoted Yusuf as saying.
In a speech marking Sudan’s Independence Day on Tuesday, Al-Burhan expressed readiness to engage in any “genuine initiative” that could end the conflict. At the same time, he reiterated his commitment to preparing for a decisive military victory in favor of the Sudanese people.
Al-Burhan firmly rejected any return to pre-April 15, 2023 conditions and dismissed the possibility of coexisting with the RSF and its backers.
“There is no place among the Sudanese people for these killers, criminals, and their supporters,” he stated.
