Sudan reaffirms readiness to reestablish ties with Iran

From Tehran Times

Dated Saturday, 20 January 2024 - 22:47 - here is a copy in full:

Sudan reaffirms readiness to re-establish ties with Iran

In a meeting with Iran's First-Vice President Mohammad Mokhber on the sidelines of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit in Uganda, Sadeq expressed Sudan's regret over the severance of ties with Iran in 2015 under foreign pressure, emphasizing the shared stances of the two nations in supporting the Palestinian people and seeking an end to Israeli atrocities in Gaza.

Mokhber, in turn, highlighted the Palestinian resistance movement's efforts to break the Zionist regime's hegemony in the region, calling for increased international pressure to lift the Gaza blockade and provide immediate relief to the besieged enclave.

The vice president expressed deep concern over the recent unrest and conflicts in Sudan, which he attributed to the conspiracy of foreign interventionists, including the Zionist usurping regime. 

Photo: TEHRAN- Sudan's acting Foreign Minister Ali Sadeq reiterated Khartoum's desire to revive diplomatic relations with Tehran.

He affirmed Iran's unwavering support for the Sudanese people and the legitimate government in their quest for peace and stability.

Sadeq elaborated on the recent events in Sudan, linking them to the interference and collusion of the Zionist regime and its regional allies, asserting that Sudan remains a victim of foreign machinations.

Sadeq attributed the Zionist regime's support for the unrest in Sudan to the country's refusal to normalize relations with Israel. 

He stressed that Sudan remains committed to its principles and will not compromise its independence.

The two officials agreed to further enhance cooperation between Sudan and Iran, particularly in the areas of trade, investment, and cultural exchange. They expressed their commitment to advancing the cause of Palestine and promoting regional peace and stability.

View original: https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/493969/Sudan-reaffirms-readiness-to-re-establish-ties-with-Iran

ENDS 

President Putin visits UAE & Saudi Arabia Dec 6 before meeting next day in Russia with Iran president

Report from BBC News

By George Wright

Dated Wednesday, 06 December 2023 - excerpts:

Russian President Putin lands in UAE

Image Source, Reuters. Image caption, 

Vladimir Putin was welcomed by the UAE's foreign minister

Mr Putin told UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan that "our relations have reached unprecedented levels".

Trade and oil will be on the agenda in the UAE, which a Kremlin statement said is "Russia's main economic partner in the Arab world".

The Russian president is scheduled to travel to Saudi Arabia later on Wednesday to meet with the kingdom's de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The two leaders will "consider ways to promote de-escalation" in the conflict between Israel and Hamas, the Kremlin said.

Conflicts in Syria, Yemen, and Sudan will also be discussed in both the UAE and Saudi Arabia, Russian presidential assistant Yuri Ushakov stated.

Kremlin officials have also announced that Mr Putin will meet with Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi on Thursday to discuss the war in Gaza.

Full story: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-67636648

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Related report 

From Oil Price dot com

By RFE/RL staff 
Dated Wed, 05 Dec 2023, 10:00 AM CST - here is a copy in full:

Putin Makes Rare Trip Abroad With Visit To Saudi Arabia, UAE

• In a rare trip abroad as an international arrest warrant hangs over him, Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates on December 6.

• The Kremlin said on December 5 that bilateral relations and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict will be discussed during the meetings.

• Following the one-day trip, Putin will return home and meet Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, the Kremlin said.

In a rare trip abroad as an international arrest warrant hangs over him, Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates on December 6 before heading home for a meeting with Iran's president the next day.

The Kremlin said on December 5 that bilateral relations and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict will be discussed during the meetings, while issues concerning the oil market, "are also always on the agenda."

The International Criminal Court (ICC) in March issued arrest warrants for Putin and his children's commissioner, Maria Lvova-Belova, for being responsible for the deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia -- a war crime under international legislation.

While Putin did not make many foreign trips before the warrant was issued, he has curtailed his travel even more since.

He did not attend the G20 summit in India in September, and has limited his recent trips to countries such as China and states of the former Soviet Union.

With the warrant, Putin became the third serving head of state to be targeted in an arrest warrant from the ICC, the world's permanent war crimes tribunal, along with Sudan's Omar al-Bashir and Libya's Muammar Qaddafi.

The Kremlin did not give details of Putin's agenda, but the online news outlet Shot, which first reported the trip, quoted Kremlin foreign policy aide Yury Ushakov as saying the Russian leader would travel first to the U.A.E. before heading on to Saudi Arabia, where talks would include a meeting with Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman.

Putin and the prince have developed close ties over the years as they worked to form a group of leading oil producers, now known as OPEC+, in late 2016. The group has worked to support the price of oil, and last week announced voluntary supply cuts.

Following the one-day trip, Putin will return home and meet Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, the Kremlin said.

Putin visited Iran in July 2022, while Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov visited Tehran in October.

Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Iran has widely been accused of delivering cheap but effective kamikaze drones to Moscow.

While Iran denies the allegations, saying it only sold drones to Moscow before the war started, U.S. officials have repeatedly accused Tehran of supplying Shahed-136 Iranian drones that Russia has used to destroy civilian infrastructure in Ukraine. There has been evidence of Iranian drones rebranded as Russian Geran-2s being used on the battlefield.

And as the two countries have increased military-technical cooperation, Iran's Defense Ministry has routinely showcased its ballistic, cruise, anti-tank, and air-defense missile systems to Russian officials.

This has raised fears Moscow and Tehran could try to expand their existing arms dealing to include more advanced weaponry, know-how, and technology that could boost both Russia's war effort in Ukraine and Iran's ballistic-missile and drone programs.

By RF/ERL

View original:

https://oilprice.com/Geopolitics/Middle-East/Putin-Makes-Rare-Trip-Abroad-With-Visit-To-Saudi-Arabia-UAE.html

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Sudan and Iran resume diplomatic relations severed seven years ago, promising to 'open embassies soon'

Report from The Associated Press (AP)

Written by JACK JEFFERY

Dated Monday, 9 October 2023; Updated 8:28 PM BST - here is a full copy:

Sudan and Iran resume diplomatic relations severed 7 years ago, promising to ‘open embassies soon’

CAIRO (AP) — Sudan and Iran announced in a joint statement Monday the resumption of diplomatic relations between the two countries after a seven-year hiatus.

Khartoum cut ties with Tehran in 2016 after Iranian protesters stormed the Saudi Arabian embassy in Iran. The oil-rich kingdom had executed a prominent Shiite cleric with 46 others days earlier, triggering demonstrations and severing Saudi-Iranian relations.

At the time, Sudan was a close ally of Saudi Arabia and had deployed troops to fight in the Saudi coalition against the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in neighboring Yemen.

“Both countries agreed to take the necessary measure to open embassies in the two countries soon,” Sudan’s foreign ministry said in an online statement.

OTHER NEWS

Iranian foreign minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, and his Sudanese counterpart, Ali al-Sadiq, met in the Azerbaijani capital of Baku in July, the first known high-level meeting between the two countries since 2016.

“The two sides agreed to enhance cooperation on different areas which can fulfill the interests of both nations and ensure security and stability in the region,” Iranian state media said, in a parallel statement.

The rapprochement comes seven months after regional foes Saudi Arabia and Iran agreed to re-establish diplomatic relations and reopen embassies in a deal brokered by China.

Iranian Presidency Office via AP

Sudan has been rocked by violence since mid-April when fighting erupted between the country’s military, led by Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, commanded by Gen. Mohamed Hamden Dagalo.

The conflict has killed at least 5,000 and wounded more than 12,000, according to according to the United Nations. Activists and medical groups in Sudan say the figures are much higher.

View original: https://apnews.com/article/iran-sudan-diplomatic-ties-saudi-8ce7690acb75bfaff092e63713ae52c0

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Summary from BBC News Live Reporting on Tue 10 Oct 2023 at 21:00 BST

• US President Joe Biden has described Hamas' attack on Israel as an "act of pure evil"
• Biden accused the militants of "butchering" people and said Israel will have "what it needs" to respond
• Details of a massacre in an Israeli village where fighting continued until Tuesday morning have emerged
• Babies were killed in their bedrooms, says an Israeli general who has been removing bodies of adults and children from the kibbutz
• Israeli soldiers also told BBC International Editor Jeremy Bowen that some of the dead had been beheaded
• The full details of atrocities carried out by Hamas are being revealed after Israel's military regained full control of the Gaza border
• Hamas has launched a fresh rocket attack on southern Israel after warning people to leave the city of Ashkelon
• Israel is also continuing its heavy bombing of Gaza; a BBC reporter there said it was the worst bombing he had seen in 20 years, with neighbourhoods flattened
• The death toll in Israel has reached 1,000 and more than 800 people have been killed in Gaza

Click here to follow BBC News Live Reporting.

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