In an interview with Sputnik Arabic, Ambassador Mirgayas Shirinskiy said the two countries had several projects in the pipeline, in addition to the gold mining joint venture, called Alliance.
"It [Alliance] has been mining gold since May, extracting several dozens of kilograms of this mineral and is expected to produce no less than 5 metric tons in the short haul, which will be a significant boost to the total gold output of the Republic of the Sudan," Shirinskiy noted.
The diplomat said more Russian companies were set to soon tap Sudan’s gold and natural gas resources. He cited local media reports that a deal was struck on Sunday between the Sudanese Petroleum Ministry and a Russian company for the joint production of liquid fuel in the country.
The upcoming meeting of the Russian-Sudanese Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation in December will open new economic opportunities for both countries, the Russian ambassador to the North African republic told Sputnik Arabic.
The meeting is due to take place on December 20-22 in Khartoum, the capital of the Republic of the Sudan. Sudanese Vice-President Hassabo Abdul-Rahman is expected to visit Russia soon, having also presided over a meeting of the commission’s Sudanese side earlier this year.
"We hope that vice-president’s upcoming visit [to Russia] and the ministerial committee’s meeting will considerably improve our economic cooperation," Mirgayas Shirinskiy said.
Defense contracts make up the largest share of bilateral trade between Russia and Sudan, Shirinskiy added, without disclosing any figures.
Moscow and Khartoum have maintained a strong economic and political partnership, leading Sudanese Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour to tell the Russian media earlier this year that Russian companies could occupy a preferential position in the Sudanese market.
