The Russian Foreign Ministry's Ambassador at Large Konstantin Shuvalov on Wednesday described the country's naval presence in Sudan as quite limited, commenting on the statement from the chief of staff of the Sudanese armed forces about revising the agreement on the creation of a Russian military base on the Red Sea coast
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 02nd June, 2021) The Russian Foreign Ministry's Ambassador at Large Konstantin Shuvalov on Wednesday described the country's naval presence in Sudan as quite limited, commenting on the statement from the chief of staff of the Sudanese armed forces about revising the agreement on the creation of a Russian military base on the Red Sea coast.
On Tuesday, the Sudanese armed forces' general staff chief, Muhammad Othman Hussein, said that Sudan intends to revise the agreement, since it was signed by the former government of Sudan but was never ratified by the parliament.
"The Russian naval presence in Sudan is very limited," Shuvalov said during a briefing at the Rossiya Segodnya International Information Agency.
The Russian diplomat also dismissed allegations of Sudan's statement being caused by US pressure.
"There are armed forces and vessels of many countries present in the region. Djibouti, for example, gives the right to enter ports and refuel to three major countries," Shuvalov explained.
The plans to create a Russian naval post in Sudan were announced in November 2020. The facility is supposed to host up to 300 Russian servicemen and resupply the country's nuclear-powered ships, with no more than four ships being able to stay there.
In April, reports about Sudan suspending the agreement emerged in several media outlets, based on anonymous sources within the Sudanese political establishment.
