Turkey and Qatar have signed a deal worth $4 billion to support Sudan in the development of the Port of
Suakin, whilst Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have deposited $250 million into Sudan's Central Bank and pledged $3 billion in development aid.
Their moment of jubilation came at Port
Suakin, eastern Sudan, where they crossed into Jeddah before heading to Mecca.
Attempts were made to establish the system last year but the main obstacle to its implementation was the lack of confidence in the Bashir regime, which had already concluded a hostile agreement granting the island of
Suakin to Turkey as a military base.
Yesterday, Turkey denied claims that its agreement with Sudan on rehabilitation of the Ottoman era artifacts on the Red Sea island of
Suakin was cancelled.
April 26, 2019 (KHARTOUM) - Turkish government has denied reports that the Transitional Military Council has cancelled an agreement with Ankara to restore Ottoman-era artefacts on Sudan's Red Sea coast island of
Suakin.
Seemingly without contradiction, Bashir sent thousands of Sudanese troops to fight alongside Saudi-affiliated militia in Yemen while at the same time signing a partnership with Qatar to develop the Red Sea port of
Suakin, which Doha intends to use as a naval base.
In December 2017, President Erdogan signed a bilateral agreement with Sudan that provided for the restoration of the ruins on the Red Sea island of
Suakin, located some 261 nautical miles from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
In December 2017, Sudan even gave Turkey a 99-year lease on the coastal island of
Suakin to renovate it, a move that observers saw as a barely veiled threat to Egyptian national security in the Red Sea given the tension between Sisi and Erdogan.
Kibir will also visit
Suakin locality to inspect Rehabilitation of
Suakin Island Project implemented within framework of the strategic cooperation protocol between Sudan and Turkey, besides visiting Sheikh Ali Baitai Khalawas(Quranic schools).
Turkey's renovation of
Suakin Island, a former Ottoman port has religious significance, as it is a former transit hub for pilgrims headed to Mecca and Medina.