Sudan to return Cairo ambassador 'soon' as relations improve

Sudan's foreign minister said it would return its ambassador to Cairo "very soon", after more than one month since it recalled its envoy to Egypt.

MENA

2 min read

The New Arab & agencies

09 February, 2018

Egyptian and Sudanese foreign minister at talks in Cairo

Sudan's foreign minister (L) and Egypt's foreign minister (R) in Cairo during recent talks [Getty]

Sudan's foreign minister said on Thursday that the country would return its ambassador to Cairo "very soon," a move that signals an improvement in relations between the two countries.

Ibrahim Ghandour spoke at a press conference and was joined by his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry, as well as Egyptian and Sudanese intelligence chiefs, according to AP.

In January, Sudan recalled its ambassador for "consultations".

The two-day talks, which began on Wednesday, are the latest efforts to defuse tensions over a longstanding border dispute over the Halayeb Triangle area. Cairo is also at odds with Khartoum over its perceived support for Addis Ababa and the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam along the Nile river.

A joint meeting between Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi and Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir will be held later this year, according to the two foreign ministers.

Neither Ghandour nor Shoukry mentioned the border dispute during the news conference.

The diplomatic spat follows a recent visit to Sudan by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, where an agreement was reached to develop the strategic Red Sea island of Suakin.

Ghandour denied claims circulating in Egyptian media that Suakin would be home to a Turkish military base, saying the Turks only suggested renovating two mosques and other Ottoman-era buildings.

Egyptian-Turkish relations have been fraught since the 2013 ouster of President Mohammed Morsi, a Turkish ally. Erdogan has been a frequent critic of Sisi following the coup.