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Sudan, Egypt Agree to Resolve Pending Matters | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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Media ID: 55372069
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Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, center, shakes hands with his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn after signing an agreement on the Renaissance Dam Project in Khartoum, March 23, 2015 in a bid to ease tensions over regional water supplies. Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah / Reuters


Khartoum – Egypt and Sudan agreed on Thursday not to support opposition groups working against their respective governments, during a meeting of the two countries’ foreign ministers.

Relations between neighbors Cairo and Khartoum have seen some tension over the past few months, which led Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir to threaten to refer the issue of the disputed “Halayeb triangle” to the United Nations, accusing Egypt of supporting Sudanese opposition figures.

Sudanese Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour told reporters after a meeting with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry: “We will not allow any Egyptian opposition group to carry out negative activities from Sudanese territory.”

The two ministers also agreed to refer the issue of “Halayeb triangle” to their countries’ presidents, and underlined the importance of boosting bilateral ties.

“It is important… to prevent opposition groups from our countries, especially armed groups, from carrying out negative activities against both countries,” Ghandour said.

Shoukry, for his part, vowed that Cairo would work “hand in hand” to boost relations between the two countries.

“The rise in regional and international terrorist activities has increased the importance of cooperation with our Sudanese brothers to face these challenges,” Shoukry said.

He reiterated Egypt’s keenness to develop its relations with Sudan, underlining the importance to hold political consultations in order to exchange viewpoints and maintain coordination on regional and international matters.

Shoukry also said that he transmitted a verbal letter from Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to the Sudanese president, stressing the leader’s commitment to a strategic relationship between the two countries.

The Egyptian foreign minister acknowledged the presence of some tension between the neighboring countries, noting in this regard: “Sometimes, some issues require communication to resolve any problem or misunderstanding, because this relation should always be based on mutual respect and appreciation.”