Australia’s commercial attache in Khartoum reopens

The Australian city of Perth began the session of joint talks between the Sudanese and Australian sides. The Sudanese side was headed by Minister of Minerals Mohammed Bashir Abdullah, while the Australian side was headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Tim Watts. The talks discussed ways to strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries, particularly in the economic, technical and political spheres.

The Sudan and Australia agreed to reopen the Australian commercial attaché’s office in the Sudan, which had been closed in 2001.

Minister of Minerals Mohammed Bashir, head of the Sudanese side, announced that the Sudan would see more investments with the State of Australia in the field of minerals, capacity development and training and qualification of Sudanese cadres.

The Minister enumerated the Australian side’s role in the promotion and development of strategic industries in Africa in general and the Sudan in particular, and praised the role of Australian companies operating in the Sudan.

Australia’s Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, Tim Watts, praised the evolution of relations between the two sides, particularly in the area of trade, investment and mining, and reaffirmed Australia’s readiness to provide further cooperation, especially after the reopening of the trade attaché, which was halted over the past period, and would facilitate trade communication between businessmen and companies in the two countries.

On the other hand, Minister of Minerals Mohammed Bashir Abdullah presented Sudan’s address to the formal session of the Australian-African Conference on Mineral Wealth and the number of opportunities available to Australian and international companies to enter into partnerships with the Sudanese side in the mining sector, considering that Sudan possesses a variety of mineral wealth that contributed to Sudanese national income during the past period.

He explained the efforts of the Government of the Sudan to upgrade the mining industry and implement all health and insurance requirements for workers in this sector, noting the Sudan’s leading role in this area.

It should be noted that a high-level delegation, which included the directors of the Ministries’ companies and arms, participated in the work of the annual Australian-African Conference in advance of the Sudan’s experience in this area and identified global trials and the latest technological uses for the development of the minerals sector in the Sudan.