Erdogan arrives in Khartoum to boost bilateral ties

By Bahattin Gonultas

KHARTOUM, Sudan

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has arrived in Khartoum, Sudan, on Sunday for a two-day visit aimed at deepening the relations between the two countries

Arriving to the Sudanese capital, the Turkish president kicks off a three-country regional tour. Erdogan will visit Chad and Tunisia between Tuesday and Thursday.

Erdogan is accompanied by a large delegation including Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, Education Minister Ismet Yilmaz, Agriculture Minister Ahmet Esref Fakibaba, Energy Minister Berat Albayrak, Culture and Tourism Minister Numan Kurtulmus, Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communications Minister Ahmet Arslan, Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci, Defense Minister Nurettin Canikli, Turkish Chief of General Staff Hulusi Akar and a delegation of some 150 Turkish businessmen.

The visit, which is the first by a Turkish president in Sudan, will be dominated by business forums to discuss investment and the signing a number of agreements to strengthen the existing economic partnerships in the fields of agricultural production, higher education, environment, military, mining, energy, health and tourism.

During the trip, Erdogan is due to hold meetings with his Sudanese counterpart Omar Al-Bashir of Sudan, then he will address the Sudanese parliament on Sunday evening.

On Monday, the Turkish president will attend a Sudanese-Turkish business forum with Al-Bashir

The current trade volume between Turkey and Sudan stand around $500 million, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat).

Turkey's exports to Sudan amounted to $328.5 million in January-October 2017, while imports from the country stood at $78.3 million.

The Turkish firms in Sudan operate in manufacturing, industry, energy, service, agriculture and machinery sectors and they help advance Sudan's economy by contributing to employment.

Erdogan’s trip comes four days after the UN General Assembly's rejection of U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.