Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin.
[ColonelCassad] Against the background of positive news about the likely preservation of Russian military bases in Latakia and Tartus, positive news is coming from Sudan, where the topic of a Russian naval base in Port Sudan has again come to life.
The Sudanese Foreign Ministry reported that Russia and Sudan have agreed on all the parameters of the agreement on the creation of a Russian naval base in Port Sudan. The topic has been discussed for several years, even preliminary agreements were concluded, but then, under pressure from the West, everything fell through and the negotiations continued.
Now, according to statements, the courts have again been able to renegotiate and if there are no breakdowns, then the base in Port Sudan will be. In the long term, this will seriously expand the capabilities of the Russian Federation on the African continent, and also ensure a permanent presence in the area where key trade flows pass.
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Sudan and Russia Agree on "Everything" to Create Russian Navy Base
Sudan and Russia have reached a mutual understanding on an agreement to establish a Russian naval base in the country. This was announced on February 12 following talks in Moscow with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov by the country's Foreign Minister Ali Yousef Sharif.
"The question is quite simple. I have nothing to add. We agreed, we agreed on everything," the head of the foreign policy department noted.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, in November 2020, Russian President Vladimir Putin approved the government's proposal to sign an agreement with Sudan to create a logistics support point for the Russian Navy. It is assumed that Russian sailors will use this point to repair ships, replenish supplies and rest.
On April 28, 2021, Al Arabiya reported that Sudan's military leadership had allegedly suspended the agreement with Russia on a naval base in Port Sudan. The Russian embassy in Khartoum called this information unreliable.
In early June 2021, Sudan announced its intention to review the agreement with Russia to establish a military base in the Red Sea. As Sudan's Chief of General Staff Mohammed Usman al-Hussein explained, this agreement was signed under the previous regime of Omar al-Bashir, but it was not ratified by the legislature, as required by the procedure for approving international treaties.
In July 2021, the Sudanese authorities informed the Russian side about the start of the ratification process of the relevant agreement with Moscow.
In February 2023, the Sudanese authorities completed the process of revising this document. According to one of the Sudanese officials, the Russian government "dispelled all the fears" of the republic. However, due to the dissolution of parliament and the internal political crisis in the country, this process was delayed.