April 3, 2021 (KHARTOUM) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has invited the head of Sudan’s Transitional Sovereign Council, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, to visit Ankara, said a statement released in Khartoum.

Turkey’s Tayyip Erdogan (Reuters)

According to a press statement issued by the Sovereign Council on Friday, al-Burhan during a phone call with President Erdogan discussed bilateral relations and issues of common concern at the regional and international levels.

"Al-Burhan received an invitation from Erdogan to visit Turkey," further said the statement.

The Turkish president affirmed his country’s keenness to strengthen lateral relations, especially in the economic, investment and trade fields, reported the Sudanese presidency.

The Turkish Presidency said that Erdogan discussed with Burhan bilateral relations and regional issues.

On December 9, 2020, Turkey and Sudan reaffirmed commitments to the agreements signed between the two countries including the mechanisms of joint cooperation.

During a visit of President to Khartum on 25 December 2017, the two countries signed 12 cooperation agreements and agreed to launch a strategic partnership covering agriculture, industry, minerals and health.

During the visit, the Turkish president visited several Ottoman historical sites on the Red Sea coast island of Suakin and agreed to restore its artefacts.

After the collapse of the al-Bashir regime in April 2019, there were reports that the Transitional Military Council had cancelled the agreement related to the restoration of Ottoman-era artefacts in Suakin.

But the Turkish government denied the accuracy of these reports.

(ST)