The Sudanese Foreign Ministry said on Friday that the opening of a border crossing between Sudan and Egypt will contribute to developing ties between the two countries. The Occhet-Qustul border crossing is set to be inaugurated on Monday. Sudanese Foreign Ministry spokesman Yousef Al-Kurdufani described the upcoming inauguration as "historical" and "important" event in the course of the bi-lateral ties between the two countries, Sudanese state agency SUNA said. The spokesman added that the border crossing will "significantly contribute" to the development of bi-lateral economic and trade ties. Al-Kurdufani said Foreign Minister Aly Karty discussed the final details of the inauguration in a recent meeting with Egyptian Ambassador to Sudan, Osama Shaltout. Sudan is set to send a high-level delegation to attend the inauguration. The two countries' intentions to build the border crossing were announced in March during a visit by Karty to Cairo. Karty and then-Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy held a joint press conference, where he said border crossings and roads would be installed to connect the neighbouring countries. Such border crossings will lead to "great openness in commercial ties," he added. The Egyptian-Sudanese border is known to be a smuggling hotspot, and was also recently highlighted in a February report by Human Rights Watch as a human trafficking route. In response to the report, the spokesman for Egypt's foreign ministry said: "Since 30 June we have had better control over our borders, especially with Sudan." Border guards often discover vehicles filled with people attempting to enter Egypt illegally.
