Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, has affirmed his country’s support for Sudan to reach national consensus and ensure stability.
This came during his meeting with Chairman of Sudan’s Sovereign Transitional Council General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan in Abu Dhabi.
Burhan’s meeting with UAE officials tackled prospects of developing bilateral relations in various fields, in addition to a number of regional and international issues of common interest, Sudan’s Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali al-Sadiq said in a press statement on the visit.
Discussions between the two officials focused on economic matters, as well as the situation in Sudan and the efforts to achieve national consensus to ensure a stable transitional period to conduct free and fair elections.
Sadiq said both sides agreed to exchange expertise and establish strategic economic partnerships in the fields of roads, ports, railways, and defense.
The private sectors of both countries also agreed to support Islamic banks with “estimated” amounts to enable them to play their role in developing the Sudanese economy.
Burhan was on an official four-day visit to the UAE, accompanied by Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali al-Sadiq, Minister of Finance and Economic Planning Jibril Ibrahim, and Director of the Security and Intelligence Agency Lieutenant-General Ahmed al-Mufaddal.
The visit was the third since ousting president Omar al-Bashir’s regime on April 11, 2019 and the first since the Oct. 25 military coup.
The political crisis in Sudan has resulted in a severe economic crisis, which led to the depreciation of the Sudanese pound at unprecedented rates. The military government was forced to significantly raise the prices of fuel, electricity, services, and taxes, which in turn was reflected in the prices of major commodities.
Khartoum has lost crucial Western support since Burhan led a military coup last October, a move that triggered broad condemnation and punitive measures, including a suspension of $700 million in US aid.
