CAIRO: Sudan and Ethiopia are looking to increase their bilateral relations, a statement from Ethiopia's foreign ministry said. Ethiopia's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Hailemariam Desalegn met Sudanese Foreign Minister Ali Ahmed Karti in Addis Ababa on Sunday, where the two reportedly held talks on a number of bilateral issues. According to State Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement on Sunday, the two sides held “discussions on ways of further enhancing the existing relationship between the two neighboring countries.” They were also reported to have discussed the current situation concerning negotiations between Sudan and South Sudan, which have stalled in recent weeks and will not resume until after the holy month of Ramadan. During the discussion, “Karti briefed his Ethiopian counterpart on the ongoing Khartoum-Juba peace negotiation and the latest developments achieved to resolve their disputes peacefully,” the statement said. Ethiopia has been working as a psuedo broker by both Khartoum and Juba and most rounds of peace talks between the two sides have been held in Ethiopia. The East African nation, which is also Inter-governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) chair, has played a vital role in the “peaceful separation of Sudan and South Sudan and in the mediation and encouraging the two sides to settle pending issues remaining from the 2005 Comprehensive peace Agreement.” Karti applauded the position of Ethiopia towards both Sudan and South Sudan and expressed gratitude to Desalegn for closely following the ongoing peace negotiation in Addis Ababa. The two foreign ministers' meeting comes as Sudan and South Sudan achieved a major breakthrough deal on oil transit fees following negotiations brokered by the African Union (AU). Former South African President Thabo Mbeki, head of the AU High-Level Implementation Panel, said on Friday that the two parties have settled financial arrangements on oil fees and will soon engage in discussions for resumption of oil production and oil shipment.
