Sudan is not asking Russia for economic assistance in exchange for an agreement on a Russian military base, reports about this are groundless, Onur Ahmad Onur, Sudan's Charge d'Affaires in Russia, told RIA Novosti.
"This is not true. This news is not true. This is groundless news. The Sudanese side is not requesting any payments in connection with the agreement on the military base," Onur told RIA Novosti.
He recalled that the decision to establish the base was made at the level of the defense ministers of the two countries, and in June, the Sudanese defense minister took part in the Moscow conference on international security. At the level of ministers of the two countries "there is mutual understanding" on this issue, the chargé d'affaires said.
"The relations between our countries are good in many areas - in politics, economics, culture, as well as in the military sphere ... Our relations started long ago, so to ask for any payments would simply be bad for the relationship.
Ahmad Onur specified that Sudan expects to sign the final version of the agreement with Russia on the base "in the near future" after making minor changes.
"There will be small changes and after that the agreement will be signed ... I think in the near future," Onur said.
According to him, all possible changes to the agreement are being discussed at the level of the Russian-Sudanese commission on military-technical cooperation.
Earlier on Sunday, an informed source in the Sudanese military department told RIA Novosti that Sudan considers it necessary to amend the agreement on the establishment of the Russian naval base in Port Sudan on the Red Sea coast in order to receive economic assistance from Russia on condition of a five-year lease with the possibility of signing an agreement for 25 years.
According to the interlocutor of the agency, in return for giving Russia a military base on the Red Sea coast, the government of Sudan asked Russia to pay the Central Bank of Sudan for the first five years of the base with the possibility of extending the agreement to 25 years. At the same time, he noted that Russia has not yet responded to Sudan's proposal.
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Based on materials from RIA Novosti