Khartoum does not count on economic assistance from Russia in exchange for hosting a naval base, the Charge d’affaires of Sudan said
Sudan is not asking Russia for economic assistance in return for the deployment of a Russian naval base in the country, Onur Ahmad Onur, Charge d’affaires of the republic in Russia, told RIA Novosti.
He called false the message that the Sudanese side is counting on help from Russia in exchange for the use of the base.
“This is baseless news. The Sudanese side does not request any payments in connection with the agreement on the military base, ” Onur said.
He noted that good relations have been established between the countries and such requests can negatively affect bilateral ties.
Khartoum expects that the final version of the agreement with Russia on the base will be signed in the near future after “making small changes”.
The day before, RIA Novosti, citing a military source, reported that the Sudanese side wants to revise the agreement on the deployment of a Russian base in the republic: the country will agree to the presence of a Russian naval base on its territory in exchange for economic assistance for five years.
In November 2020, Russian President Vladimir Putin instructed to create a logistics support point for the Russian Navy in the water area of the city of Port Sudan. The Government proposed to place the base in Sudan. According to the draft agreement, which was approved by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, the number of personnel of the naval base will not exceed 300 people. It will be able to accommodate no more than four Russian warships, including ships with a nuclear power plant.
The presence of a Russian base in Sudan is necessary for “maintaining peace and stability in the region”, its deployment is “defensive in nature and is not directed against other states”, the Russian authorities explained.
The agreement on the construction of the base was signed by Russia and Sudan in December of that year. It is designed for 25 years with the possibility of extension. According to the document, Khartoum should provide Russia with a part of the port and the adjacent water area for free use.
However, in June of this year, Sudan announced its intention to revise the agreement on the Russian base, since it was signed by the former regime, has not been ratified and may cause harm to Sudan. The Kremlin reported that they are aware of the situation. In July, the President of Russia submitted the document for ratification to the State Duma.
Subscribe to VK RBC Get news faster than anyone else