Sudan’s Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour and his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry would chair the meeting of the joint Sudanese-Egyptian political consultation committee in Khartoum on Wednesday, said Sudan’s Foreign Ministry.
In a press release on Monday, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Gharib Allah Khidir said the meeting would discuss a number of issues including the consular work, border crossings, coordination in regional and international forums and the recent developments in the region.
He added the meeting would also follow up on the implementation of the outcome of the meeting of the joint presidential committee which was held in Cairo in October 2016.
Last month, Ghanodur and Shoukry agreed to ease tensions between the two neighbouring countries through the control of hostile media campaigns and to curb activities of opposition groups in their territories.
Tensions between Khartoum and Cairo have escalated following the former’s decision to restrict imports of Egyptian farming products which was reciprocated by Cairo’s decision to raise residency fees for Sudanese living in Egypt.
The deterioration of bilateral relations between the two countries goes back to the attempt to assassinate President Hosni Mubarak in June 1995 followed by the deployment of Egyptian troops in the disputed area of Halayeb triangle.
Since then, Khartoum has been moving to improve its ties with the eastern and western neighbours, instead of its strategic ties with Egypt.
Khartoum further went to back the construction of a dam in Ethiopia, which Cairo says will hurt its water needs. Also, the Sudanese government recently signed investment agreements with Gulf countries.
Accordingly, they will establish huge agricultural projects that require the full use of Sudan share of the Nile water, a move which is seen in Cairo as another threat to Egypt.
Egypt-Sudan relations subject to ‘negative’ external interference
Relations between Egypt and Sudan have been subject to “negative” external interference, a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry in Cairo said on Monday, Anadolu has reported.
Ahmed Abu Zeid made his comment prior to the visit to Khartoum by Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri scheduled for Wednesday. He did not specify the sources of the interference.
Shukri is heading a senior Egyptian delegation to hold meetings of the Egyptian-Sudanese joint discussion committee. According to Abu Zeid, the crisis among the Gulf States and the latest developments in the region are on the agenda, at the top of which are the Libyan crisis and the Renaissance Dam on the Nile in Ethiopia.
The government in Khartoum has insisted that it is not taking sides on the Gulf crisis, while supporting Kuwaiti mediation efforts.
Egyptian-Sudanese relations have witnessed several ups and downs recently, mainly carried out through the media. In April, the Foreign Ministers of both countries announced their support for a code of honour between the two that guarantees no abuse being hurled from either side.
