On August 3, the sixth meeting of the Russian-Sudanese High-Level Working Committee took place at the Russian Foreign Ministry, involving Deputy Foreign Minister and Special Presidential Representative for the Middle East and Africa Mikhail Bodganov and State Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Sudan Atta Al-Mannan Bakhit.

During the consultations, the parties paid significant attention to topical issues of further developing the full range of traditionally friendly Russia-Sudan relations. Moscow and Khartoum confirmed their mutual commitment to maintaining a trustful political dialogue and to strengthening mutually beneficial trade, economic and humanitarian cooperation, including partnership in such promising areas as development of Sudan’s natural resources, energy, agriculture, staff training, etc.

In the context of an in-depth exchange of opinions on the regional agenda, the parties focused on the developments in Darfur and South Sudan, and the issues of intra-Sudanese settlement. They noted progress in the normalisation of the situation in Darfur, which creates necessary conditions for further movement towards achieving lasting peace and solving humanitarian problems. Mr Bakhit confirmed the Sudanese leadership’s policy of curtailing stage-by-stage the United Nations–African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) as it has fulfilled the tasks assigned to it.

It was also stated that the continuation of the internal political crisis in the Republic of South Sudan hinders the work to resolve the persisting problems in relations between Khartoum and Juba on the basis of the known resolutions of the African Union and the UN Security Council and the 2012 agreements between the Republic of Sudan and the Republic of South Sudan, including on security and the border area.

In a trusting manner, the parties discussed in detail acute crises in the Middle East and North Africa, with a focus on the current military and political situations in Libya, Syria and Yemen.