MOSCOW, June 2-RIA Novosti. Sudan's decision to renegotiate the agreement on the construction of a logistics point for the Russian Navy may be caused by pressure from the United States, which probably threatens Khartoum to return it to the list of terrorist states, the vice-president of the League of Military Diplomats (Russia) told RIA Novosti on Wednesday.) Vladimir Vinokurov.
The intention to review the decision was previously announced by the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of Sudan, Muhammad Usman al-Hussein, citing the fact that the document was adopted by the previous government, but not ratified by Parliament.
The expert noted that the naval station in Sudan is a" very necessary " project from the point of view of ensuring national interests and security. According to Vinokurov, it is strategically important because it is located in such a way that it is both a gateway to the Indian Ocean and the Suez Canal.
In addition to US pressure, Khartoum's desire to achieve greater preferences for itself may be behind the stalling in the negotiations, the expert admitted. An effective lever of influence in this matter can be the supply of Russian weapons, which were previously interested in Sudan.
The agreement to create a Russian Navy post in Sudan became known in November last year: according to the document, the maximum number of personnel of the naval post will not exceed 300 people. At the same time, it was supposed to place no more than four Russian ships at the same time.
In 2017, the former President of Sudan, Omar al-Bashir, said in an interview with RIA Novosti that he discussed with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu the possibility of creating a military base in Sudan on the Red Sea. Later, the Russian Ambassador to Khartoum explained to RIA Novosti that the parties were discussing the opening of a security point, and not a full-fledged military base.
The United States added Sudan to the list of countries that support terrorism in 1993, which entails sanctions and export restrictions. In October 2020, the previous US administration concluded that Sudan had not supported terrorists in the past six months, and received assurances from the Sudanese Government that it would not continue to do so. As a result, at the end of May this year, Washington excluded Khartoum from the list.
