Sudanese-Qatari summit held today

The Sudanese-Qatari summit will be held Tuesday in the Qatari capital Doha bringing together Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir and the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani.  Sudan's Ambassador to Doha, Yasir Khidir told Sudanese News Agency (SUNA) that the summit will review bilateral relations, issues of mutual interest and Qatari investments in Sudan.  The ambassador stated that the meetings carried out by the Foreign Minister, Ali Karti, with his Qatari counterpart, the Governor of the Central Bank and the Managing Director of Qatar National Bank, were aimed at strengthening economic relations between the two countries. The ambassador also indicated that the meeting of President Al-Bashir with the Qatari Hassad Company for Food Production on Monday affirmed the keenness of the Qatari leadership to implement its investment projects in Sudan. A key project is the 265,000 Feddans of the Abu Hammad Agricultural Project, which is considered the largest agricultural project in Sudan after the Al-Jazeera project. Implementation is expected to start in the next few days. Ambassador Yasir Khidir stressed the importance of Sudan’s participation in the fourth forum of the United Nations Alliance of Civilisation in Doha, pointing out that the Sudanese delegation mentioned, in their speech, Sudan’s efforts in achieving peace all over Sudan, in addition to its cooperation with regional and international forces concerning Sudanese issues by means of internal dialogue as they reflect on the security of the entire region. Sudanese Foreign Minister, Ali Karti, expressed his gratitude and appreciation to Sheikh Hamad Al-Thani for inviting President Al-Bashir to attend the forum. In his statement to Qatar News Agency (QNA), Karti praised Qatar’s significant role in the region,  saying: “The regular activities organised by Qatar prove that Islamic civilization is open before the world in contrast to allegations circulated by western circles accusing it of status quo.” In response to a question about Sudan’s stance towards an alliance of civilizations, Karti said that Sudan is part of an ongoing dialogue on interaction of civilisations, explaining that they have organised a forum for dialogue between Islam and Christianity twice in addition to participating in similar activities organised outside Sudan.