Our favorable opportunity is with the Russian Federation

Simply

Dr. Adel Abdel Aziz Al-Faki

We currently have a golden opportunity to conclude a strategic alliance with the Russian Federation. Russia is facing a global war through an international coalition led by the United States and including European Union countries. Likewise, Sudan faces an alliance that includes neighboring countries and regional countries, aiming to change the identity of the Sudanese state and control its wealth.

Russia is a member of the Security Council and has the right to veto, and this represents great political value for Sudan as it can use this right, in cooperation with Sudan, to achieve the common interests of both.
Russia asked Sudan to provide a logistical supply port for its ships plying the Red Sea. Sudan agreed in principle to the request as a sovereign right of the Sudanese state to have sole ownership of the report.

Sudan must seek to achieve its greatest interest, by responding to the Russian request, on the win-win rule that governs relations between countries.

Russia is considered an economic superpower, with a domestic product of $4.027 trillion, ranked sixth internationally. In the year 2022, the growth rate of the GDP reached -2.07%, influenced by the European and American boycott.

Sudan has previously signed many agreements and memorandums of understanding with Russia, the most prominent of which was in the field of technology for converting petroleum gases into liquid petroleum products, which is a unique Russian technology that could represent an important addition to Sudanese petroleum production. Then there was an agreement in the field of prospecting for gold and other minerals, an agreement on aerial mapping on land and at sea, and an agreement on importing a bakery and technology to produce bread from flour mixed between wheat and corn.

The areas of cooperation that can bring great benefit to Sudan, and it is recommended to develop cooperation with the Russian side in them, include something very important for Sudan at this stage, which is making the most of advanced Russian military technology, for example, the Russian T-90 A tank, which is distinguished by being equipped with a Kontakt reactive armor. 5 With a countermeasures system that combines a laser detector and a jamming system capable of confronting Shtora-1 and TOW anti-tank missiles.

The TOS-1 Buratino 220 mm rocket launchers are considered very modern launchers and are allowed to be exported abroad. This is in addition to the 152 mm 2A65Msta-B artillery pieces, which feature advanced technology and are allowed to be exported abroad as well.

The second matter, which represents a matter of great strategic importance to Sudan, is the Russian side’s proposal that Sudan benefit from the Russian GLONASS technology, which is used in the field of satellite navigation systems (AeroGlonas). This is for the purpose of establishing a national system for rapid response in emergency situations, command and control systems for the armed forces, police agencies and private security agencies, vehicle monitoring, and locating and managing natural resources.

It is known that the Russian GLONASS system is a satellite navigation system that ranks second in the world in terms of importance after the American GPS system, and before the European Galileo and Chinese Beidou systems. This matter gains importance in that the American GPS system is officially banned for some of its uses in Sudan.

The third important matter for Sudan is modernizing and rehabilitating the current grain silos and building other new storage vessels. Modernizing the major silos in Gedaref and Port Sudan by increasing their storage capacity from 150,000 tons to 600,000 tons, and building new silos with a capacity of one million tons, is considered a very great field of cooperation between the two countries, for two reasons: The first is that the large capacities for storing grains in Sudan are a vital and strategic issue, because they Supplies for food security in Sudan. The second is the symbolism of the re-modernization by Russia, because the silos in Port Sudan and Gedaref were built by the former Soviet Union in the 1960s, and thus the re-modernization by Russia, the heir to the former Soviet Union, represents a symbolism of the depth of relations between the two peoples for decades.

The last thing that we have to pay attention to at the present time is trade with Russia. The volume of trade exchange with Russia does not currently exceed $110 million per year, while Russian exports abroad amount to $640 billion. Given the tension in Russia’s political relations with a number of countries, most notably the United States and a number of European Union countries, and consequently the decline in its economic and commercial dealings with these countries, the opportunity appears favorable for the Sudanese side to open areas of meat, vegetable and fruit exports with Russia.

We must take advantage of the opportunity available with a strategic agreement with Russia based on common interest and the win-win concept. God bless.