Foreign Minister Çavuşoğlu pays official visit to Sudan


Turkey's top diplomat arrived to the Sudanese capital Khartoum on Friday for an official visit, said a statement by the Turkish Foreign Ministry on Friday.

Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu is expected to attend the signing ceremony of a power-sharing deal between rival sides in the country on Saturday, the statement said.

"H.E. Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, minister of foreign affairs, will visit Khartoum on Aug. 17, 2019 to participate in the signing ceremony of the Constitutional Declaration, which covers arrangements concerning the Transitional Civilian Authority, between the Forces of Freedom and Change and the Transitional Military Council," it added.

As part of his visit, Çavuşoğlu will meet with Sudanese officials and representatives from some other countries participating in the signing ceremony.

He will also meet with Turkish nationals living in Sudan, the statement added.

On Aug. 4, Sudan's ruling Transitional Military Council (TMC) and the opposition alliance Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) initialed the declaration toward a transition to civilian rule following the ouster of long-serving President Omar al-Bashir.

Sudan has been in turmoil since April 11, when the military establishment announced al-Bashir's removal after months of popular protests against his 30-year rule.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan paid an official visit to Sudan in 2017, where he and his delegation were given a very warm welcome. Erdoğan's Sudan visit was the first by a Turkish president to the East African country and part of a larger political and economic drive to deepen Turkey's ties with the continent.