Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonnen pays a working visit to Sudan
Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonnen led a delegation to the Sudan for a working visit to the Republic of the Sudan last week (December 19-21). The delegation, which included State Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mrs. Hirut Zemene, was warmly welcomed in Khartoum by Vice-President Osman Mohamed Yesuf Kibir. The visit was aimed at boosting the bilateral relationship between the two countries in all areas in the spirit of the consensus reached during the recent exchange of high level visits. It is to be recalled that Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed visited Khartoum in May (May 2-3), and President Omar Hassan al-Bashir visited Jimma on December 8, where the two leaders were also joined by President Omar Guelleh of Djibouti in inaugurating flagship projects.
During the visit, Deputy Prime Minister Demeke held fruitful discussions with President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, Prime Minister Mutaz Musa, First Vice-President Bakri Hassan Salah and Vice President Osman Mohamed Yesuf Kibir. `The talks covered issues of mutual interest, focusing on the need to reactivate all the existing bilateral mechanisms and to rekindle the spirit of friendship and solidarity between the two sisterly countries. The two sides agreed to hold a High-level Joint Commission meeting at a mutually agreed future date, and high-level Steering Economic Committee meeting next February in the Sudan.
The two sides underlined the need to accelerate regional economic integration and ensure sustainable peace in the Horn of Africa sub-region. They agreed to fight the proliferation of small arms, illegal migration and human trafficking. They highlighted the need to reactivate the work of the joint boundary demarcation committee in order to address some unsettled and long overdue issues with the ultimate goal of creating a harmonized cross-border cooperation.
Deputy Prime Minister Demeke also held discussions with Prime Minister Mutaz Musa, emphasizing ways of deepening cooperation between the two countries on trans-boundary water issues through trilateral and multilateral mechanisms. He briefed Mr. Musa on the progress of the construction of the Great Renaissance Dam (GERD), and commended the Government of Sudan for its unwavering support for this major project.
State Minister Mrs. Hirut also held talks with Sudan’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Osama Faisal, on Thursday December 20. They exchanged views on ways to deepen cooperation between the two countries, and discussed the convening of the high-level Steering Economic Committee. They also discussed how to strengthen implementation of various bilateral agreements. The State Ministers exchanged views on how to reinforce the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) to spearhead regional economic integration and ensure sustainable peace in the sub-region.
