By Gazette staff CAIRO, August 28, 2018 - Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukri and his Sudanese counterpart Al-Dirdiri Mohamed Ahmed confirmed on Wednesday the depth of the relations that bind Cairo and Khartoum. The foreign ministers made the statements at a joint news conference which was held at the end of their talks in Cairo on Wednesday. The statements also followed the meeting of the joint ministerial committee concerned with preparing for the meetings of the higher Egyptian-Sudanese committee which are scheduled to be held in Khartoum in October, under the chairmanship of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi and his Sudanese counterpart Omar al-Bashir. FM Shoukri pointed out that during the past two days, the ministers concerned with this file held expanded meetings in which the spirit of brotherhood and mutual appreciation prevailed. He said that relations between the two countries were sacred, strategic and of a special character. The Sudanese foreign minister described relations between the two countries as a comprehensive strategic partnership and said he was looking forward to pushing forward relations to wider horizons for the sake of both countries and to serve the interests of the two peoples. The top Sudanese diplomat also said that more efforts should be exerted to further promote ties between Egypt and Sudan. He added it was important for the joint ministerial committee to discuss all the aspects of co-operation. Speaking of the achievements of the joint committee and the issue of water which is a source of concern for the Egyptian people, Minister Shoukri highlighted the progress made in the co-operation between Egypt and Sudan, in areas such as transport, railways, joint electricity networks, health and the exchange of expertise. "We appreciate that the ambitions of the two peoples are huge and the scope for co-operation is enormous, requiring study and planning," he added. The top Egyptian diplomat stressed the need for the pace of negotiations on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam to be fast and to serve the interests of the three countries, in accordance with instructions issued by the leaders of the three countries during their latest meeting in Addis Ababa. FM Shoukri praised the development of the historical relations between Egypt and Sudan and the positive results of the preparatory meeting of the joint committee at the level of senior officials, which was held in Cairo on August 7-8. He stressed the importance of putting into effect what had been agreed upon so that the people could benefit from co-operation in the field of development. During the Egyptian-Sudanese ministerial committee meeting, discussions covered 20 draft agreements and memoranda of understanding, in preparation for signing them during the higher presidential committee meeting, which is due to be held in October. The foreign minister said that it was important for the foreign ministers of both countries to meet regularly and said he was looking forward to visiting Khartoum to attend a meeting of the political consultation committee.
