CAIRO (Sputnik) — Sudan is interested in strengthening its coordination with Russia in fighting terrorism, Sudanese Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour told Sputnik.
"We have arranged coordination on [fighting terrorism] and other issues between the relevant authorities of our two countries. During his visit, [Russian Deputy Foreign Minister] Mikhail Bogdanov discussed the matter with competent officials in Sudan, and we’re looking forward to strengthening our cooperation in these areas," Ghandour said in an interview.
"Sudan did not know of extremism throughout most of its history," he added.
On September 9, Ghandour will visit Moscow for trilateral talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his South Sudanese counterpart Benjamin Barnaba. The two African countries are expected to work toward a final solution to the outstanding controversial issues in their bilateral relations, which deteriorated when South Sudan became independent from Sudan in July 2011.
Sudan has been battling several Islamist extremist groups operating in the country, including Hezbollah and the Islamic State, since 1990s.
