Qatari Deputy Prime Minister visits Sudan

Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok met with the visiting Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign affairs of Qatar, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdel Rahman Al Thani, in the presence of Sudan’s Minister of Cabinet Affairs Khaled Omar and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Mariam El Sadig El Mahdi.

The Qatari Minister is in Sudan for a two-day visit to review “review the bilateral relations and the spheres of joint cooperation”, according to a press statement published in the Sudan News Agency (SUNA).

The minister conveyed the greetings of the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, to PM Hamdok and expressed Qatar’s support for Sudan in dealing with the security, economic, and political issues the country faces.

The two countries called for the importance of the reactivation of mechanisms for bilateral political consultation and cooperation opportunities regarding investment and training. The Qatari official affirmed the importance of working through the joint Sudanese-Qatari Committee, co-chaired by the Prime Ministers, to boost the cooperation between the two countries.

In a meeting with Sudan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Qatari minister stressed the deeply rooted relations between Sudan and Qatar and affirmed Qatar’s willingness to support Sudan in diplomatic issues, including those concerning the Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) and the further border tensions with Ethiopia.

The meeting with Hamdok also discussed the situations in Libya and Chad.

Dr Mariam El Sadig El Mahdi thanked the Qatari official for his visit and appreciated the Qatari support. PM Hamdok further said that Sudan would welcome Qatari investments in all sectors.

January visit

In January this year, Deputy Chairman of Sudan’s Sovereign Council Lt Gen Mohamed Hamdan ‘Hemeti’ visited the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, at his Diwan (guest house) in Doha. At the time, Hemeti’s delegation also included Sudan's previous Minister of Foreign Affairs Omar Gamareldin and the director of Sudan’s General Intelligence Service, Lt Gen Jamal Abdelmajeed.

That meeting discussed general developments in Sudan, the fraternal relations between the two countries and ways and means of boosting them further, and also tackled regional and international developments, especially the situation on the Sudanese-Ethiopian border.