Saudi Arabia Supports Sudan Stance over GERD

On Tuesday, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan confirmed his country's support for Sudan's position on the negotiations of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.

Bin Farhan stressed, during his meeting with the Sudanese Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdok in Khartoum, the Kingdom's support for Sudan's position in the negotiations on the Renaissance Dam, and the importance of dialogue to reach "a satisfactory and binding agreement for all parties."

The Saudi foreign minister considered that "water security for Sudan and Egypt is an integral part of Arab national security."

Sudan refused to participate in a tripartite meeting on the Renaissance Dam, calling for a change of negotiation methodology and giving experts a greater role to reach a binding legal agreement.

On the other hand, Dr. Hamdok affirmed his government's appreciation for the advanced Sudanese-Saudi relations, and Riyadh's support for Khartoum in various international forums, specifically on the issue of removing his country's name from the list of countries sponsoring terrorism, which will positively affect the success of the transitional period.

According to the official Sudan News Agency, the talks included ways to develop bilateral relations between the countries, in addition to several, regional and international issues, many of which coincided with views, including Saudi Arabia's support for efforts to implement peace agreements in Sudan and encourage Saudi investments.

The two sides discussed prospects for exchanging experiences and training for cadres of the two countries in the civil service, as well as following up on the results of the Friends of Sudan Conference that was hosted in Riyadh last August.

The meeting also dealt with the importance of the security of the riparian countries of the Red Sea, in light of the conflict that broke out in the Tigray region of Ethiopia.

During the meeting, regional conflicts in Yemen, Syria and Libya were discussed, and the need to resolve them was stressed based on non-foreign interference, a peaceful solution, and international legitimacy and law.

Hamdok conveyed the Saudi Foreign Minister salutations to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and his calls for the continued goodness and stability of the Saudi government and people.

The Saudi FM arrived in Khartoum, on a one-day official visit. The Chairman of the Sovereignty Council, Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, met with him and discussed a number of issues of common concern.