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Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir said he had discussed setting up a military base on the Red Sea with the president of Russia and his defense minister, adding that he had asked to provide his country with Russian defensive weapons.
Bashir responded to Sputnik's question about whether he had discussed the establishment of a military base on the Red Sea with President Vladimir Putin, saying "yes, first with the Russian president and then with Defense Minister (Sergei Schweigau), This is not an agreement but an "understanding now, God willing."
"We want to develop military cooperation from an attaché to an adviser, and we have a program to fully modernize the armed forces because we have emerged from many problems and wars, so the armed forces need to organise and modernize, and all our equipments are Russian; therefore we need advisers in this area."
"When we use the equipments, of course, we need trainers and advisers. The Red Sea is a very important and very vital corridor, and for us it is an entrance to Sudan. A vulnerability for Sudan, a security threat to our coast, is a dangerous fact for the country," he said. We need strong protection so that they do not suffocate us. We must do anything for that. "
Russian weapons
Bashir also revealed that he had asked for SU-30 and SU-35 fighter jets from Russia to defend his country, adding that their were no objections to the S-300 air defense system's request.
He added: "We asked Sukhoi 30 because it covers our Sudanese airspace, as we asked Su-35. We have no intention to launch an external aggression, what we want is to defend our country."
Bashir said that he also asked for patrol boats, missile boats and minesweepers, "because it is possible that any party can come at any time, and even if it claims allegations that it has mined the Sudanese territorial waters, it would be an economic disaster for us," noting that the presence of minesweepers is important from the point of safety, to reassure other vessels using Sudanese ports with the possession of mine clearance capabilities.
The Sudanese president said he did not go into the details with the Russian leaders. "But we definitely need radars and complete missile systems," he said, answering a question about the S-300 system's demand. "What is objectionable, we can ask for it."
Bashir spoke during his talks in Sochi with the Russian leadership on Thursday, the need for his country to protect against "hostile American actions."
Sudanese Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour told reporters later that "the talk about protection came in the context of the US threatening decision to stop the export of gold, which represents the primary export of Sudan."
Source: Reuters
https://arabic.rt.com/middle_east/9...ع-القادة-الروس/?_e_pi_=7,PAGE_ID10,6898196370