Sudan and Turkey have signed a historic agreement to further strengthen their bilateral relations in the fields of economy, trade, and investment. The two countries concluded the 16th session of their Joint Ministerial Economic Committee on Thursday, which had been taking place in Ankara for several days. Accordingly, they reached a full agreement to implement a package of mega joint projects focusing on the agriculture, energy, and mining sectors.
The Sudanese delegation at this high-level discussion was led by Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation Ismat Qurashi, while the Turkish delegation was chaired by the country’s Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Ibrahim Yumakli. After intensive deliberations on agendas critical to the comprehensive development of both nations, the two sides officially signed the joint meeting minutes.
The discussions brought together high-ranking officials from various government institutions of both countries, including the ministries of foreign affairs, finance, agriculture, energy, mining, animal resources, higher education, culture and communication, and tourism, as well as the Bank of Sudan.
According to an official press circular from Sudan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this round of consultations elevates the development and trade cooperation between the two nations to a new chapter. Based on various memoranda of understanding previously signed, the two sides agreed to implement joint projects specifically targeting agricultural productivity, renewable energy, and mineral exploration.
In addition, an agreement was reached to conduct extensive exchanges in technical cooperation and human capacity building. This aims to transfer Turkey’s modern technological experience to Sudan, thereby enabling Sudanese government institutions to better fulfill their national responsibilities with enhanced capability.
A primary and urgent agenda item during this session was the reconstruction of infrastructure destroyed by the ongoing war in Sudan. The Turkish government demonstrated full willingness to strengthen its involvement in Sudan’s health and humanitarian assistance sectors.
Turkey announced it will provide significant support to rebuild hospitals, schools, roads, and water supply infrastructure damaged by the conflict. This will play a crucial role in delivering rapid humanitarian aid to war-affected Sudanese citizens and restoring the country to normalcy and stability.
Both ministers emphasized during their addresses that government efforts alone are not enough to boost trade exchange between the nations. Therefore, they stressed that the participation of the private sector and investors is crucial. To facilitate this relationship, it was revealed that business and investment forums will soon be organized under the supervision of the Joint Business Council.
Sudanese Minister Ismat Qurashi stated that the Sudanese people and government highly value the friendship and solidarity Turkey has shown throughout Sudan’s difficult period of war. He added that his government is committed to translating the agreed-upon projects into action in a short period to ensure the mutual benefit of both nations.
For his part, his Turkish counterpart Ibrahim Yumakli urged that the initiated joint projects must enter the implementation phase immediately without delay. Stating that work must be done to raise the bilateral trade balance from its current level, the Minister concluded by noting that economic and commercial relations serve as the cornerstone of the strong historical and fraternal ties between Turkey and Sudan.
