Russia’s Lavrov in Khartoum backs Sudan bid to lift UN sanctions
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has pledged support for a call by Sudanese officials to lift long-standing UN sanctions on the African nation.
The top Russian diplomat was addressing a press conference in Khartoum alongside Sudanese acting Foreign Minister Ali al-Sadiq on Thursday. "We stand with the Sudanese side in its endeavor to lift the sanctions imposed by the United Nations Security Council."
Sudan has recently repeated calls for the UN to lift the sanctions and an arms embargo imposed during the conflict in the country's Darfur region in 2005.
Russia and Sudan have been "cooperating in the fields of economy and investment," Lavrov said, hailing Sudanese efforts "to attract Russian investments." He said Moscow "appreciates the comfortable conditions" created for Russian mining companies operating in Sudan.
Lavrov also held talks with army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. He also met with Burhan's deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the powerful paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The Russian Foreign Ministry has said the two countries are expected to discuss key aspects of comprehensive Russian-Sudanese cooperation and current international and regional issues with a focus on the necessity of a political and diplomatic solution to the crises in West Asia and Africa.
Much attention will be paid to preparations for the second Russia-Africa summit due to be held in Russia’s St. Petersburg in July.
The Russian diplomat's arrival in Sudan late Wednesday marked the latest stop in a tour that has included Mali and Mauritania.
Lavrov also defended private military company Wagner's operations in other parts of Africa, saying the group was deployed "upon the direct request of governments." Last month, the US expanded sanctions on Wagner over its role in the Ukraine war and accused it of “extorting natural resources" in African countries.
Lavrov's two-day visit is in keeping with Russia's efforts to shore up influence on the African continent.
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