The Russian government has approved a draft agreement between Russia and Sudan on the establishment of a logistical support point of the Russian Navy on the territory of Sudan and instructed to submit a proposal for signing the agreement to the president. A resolution to that effect was published on Friday on the official portal of legal information.
"To approve and submit to the President of the Russian Federation for ratification in the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation the agreement between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Sudan on the establishment of a logistical support point of the Russian Navy on the territory of the Republic of Sudan, signed in Khartoum on July 23, 2019, and in Moscow on December 1, 2020," the document reads.
Agreement on the Russian Navy supply point in Sudan
In early December 2020, it became known that Russia signed an agreement with Sudan to establish a logistical support point of the Russian Navy on its territory. It is intended for repair, resupply and rest of the crew members of Russian warships. The document envisaged the compensation-free transfer of territory and real property, including the coastal area and the water area with the berth front zone (the area where floating crafts are anchored) to Russia for the entire duration of the agreement. The maximum numbers of military and civilian personnel in the logistics base should not exceed 300, and increases are possible by agreement with Sudan. The agreement is valid for 25 years, with automatic extension for 10-year periods unless either party notifies the other in writing, through diplomatic channels, at least one year prior to the expiration of the next period, of its intention to terminate the agreement.
On June 1, Sudan announced a revision of the agreement with Russia to establish a base in the Red Sea. At the time, Lieutenant General Mohammed Usman al-Hussein, the country's chief of general staff, said in an interview with Sudanese TV channel Blue Nile that Khartoum was negotiating with Moscow to revise the agreement "to take into account its interests and benefits".
On June 10, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that the text of the Russian-Sudanese agreement could change, but Moscow confirmed its interest in cooperating with Khartoum. She recalled that the said agreement was signed by the authorized representative of the Sudanese Transitional Military Council in Khartoum on July 23, 2019, that is, after the change of the political regime in Sudan (April 11, 2019, there was a military coup in Sudan, the army removed President Omar al-Bashir who had been in power in the country for 30 years - TASS). However, the document has not yet been ratified in Sudan, as the country does not have a legislative body with such powers. Accordingly, the text of the agreement may be amended by agreement and at the discretion of the parties before it enters into force.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
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Based on materials from TASS