Sudanese ambassador eyes improved ties with Turkey

By Meltem Bulur

ANKARA (AA) - Sudan hopes to benefit from Turkish investment and know-how in the wake of the U.S. easing sanctions against the east African state, the country’s ambassador to Ankara has said.

Osman Eldirdieri al-Mubarak Ali hailed Sudan’s ties with Turkey in an exclusive interview with Anadolu Agency.

“Turkey-Sudanese relations are always excellent because we are tied to Turkey and the people of Turkey,” he said. “Relations between Sudan and Turkey have always been excellent. There are political consultations and cooperation, according to the legal framework between the two foreign ministers.”

In his final days in office, former President Barack Obama eased sanctions against Sudan due to what U.S. officials said was Khartoum’s efforts to improve humanitarian access, reduce internal violence and cooperate against terrorism.

The first sanctions were imposed in 1997 over Sudan’s support for terrorism and human rights abuses.

The removal of trade restrictions open the country to global trade for the first time in two decades.

“Politically, we have never had any difference or problem,” Ali said, referring to Turkish-Sudanese ties. “My main concern is to benefit from Turkish achievements.”

He added: “Turkey is an economic power. You have very reputable companies. I hope I will be successful in promoting economic relations and I hope to see many large Turkish companies investing in Sudan.

“Both countries want to promote bilateral trade because the current balance of trade is only $200 million.”

Following a 2014 cooperation agreement between Khartoum and Ankara, 780,000 hectares (more than 3,000 square miles) of Sudanese land had been earmarked for Turkish investment projects, Ali said.

A further legal framework has also been agreed to encourage Turkish investment.

“These are only recent agreements,” Ali said. “But when we look back, there have been many other agreements as well.”

- Combating terrorism

Sanctions had especially hit Sudan’s railway and aviation industries, the ambassador said. “These are just some examples of how sanctions have affected the life of the Sudanese people,” he added. “This is why we have engaged in talks with the U.S. for a long time.

“These talks were intensified in the last six months, which is a good sign… We told the U.S. ‘You have to rethink these sanctions. You have your interests and we have ours -- let’s get together and promote these interests’.”

He added: “Sudan is a very rich country in the fields of agriculture, mining and [live]stock. So far, we have not been able to exploit these potentialities. This decision will have a very positive economic and political impact on Sudan.”

Ali said the U.S. had accused Sudan of supporting terrorism “without any basis” although it was largely because Osama bin Laden used Khartoum as a base in the early 1990s. “On the contrary, if you go back through the years, the U.S. State Department always said that Sudan had proved very cooperative in combating terrorism.”

He added: “We told them ‘Terrorism is a real disease; no country will tolerate terrorism’. And we are a Muslim country and terrorism contradicts Islam. Sudan is a very peaceful country. We have told the Americans and Europeans that Sudan itself is afraid of this danger.

The envoy said Sudan was threatened by both Daesh, which operates in neighboring Libya, and Boko Haram, which largely acts in Nigeria but has also attacked Chad and other nearby states.

“We will continue to combat this disease,” Ali said.

Turning to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) that Turkey has accused of being behind the July 15 coup attempt, Ali said Sudan had closed down FETO-linked institutions within its borders.

“FETO had some establishments in Sudan,” he said. “Turkey’s security is a redline for Sudan -- this was said by the Sudanese foreign minister during his visit to Turkey last October.

“We had only two schools linked to FETO and these were both immediately closed after the failed coup. In a nutshell, we immediately closed the schools with a decree issued by the president of Sudan and we kicked their staff out of the country. We will not allow any FETO presence in Sudan.”

FETO is led by U.S.-based Fetullah Gulen, who Ankara accuses of attempting to overthrow the state by infiltrating government institutions, especially the judiciary, police and armed forces. The group has built up a global network of schools and educational institutions that is said to help fund the organization.

Ali added: “There is no longer any FETO presence in Sudan and -- thanks to the Turkish government -- we have been informed as to how dangerous they are.”