Sudan, S. Sudan to remain committed to carrying out joint cooperation deal

Sudan and South Sudan on Sunday reiterated commitment to implementing the cooperation agreement signed between them in 2012.

The joint Political and Security Committee between Sudan and South Sudan convened in Khartoum on Sunday in the presence of the foreign, defense and oil ministers of the two countries.

"These meetings come as continuation of the joint issues and implementation of a deal by the two countries' presidents," Ibrahim Ghandour, Sudan's Foreign Minister, said at a joint press conference with his South Sudanese counterpart Deng Alor in Khartoum Sunday.

He also said that the two sides have agreed to established the strongest ties between the two countries based on the deeply-rooted relations.

South Sudan's Foreign Minister Deng Alor, for his part, said that "there are some issues and difficulties facing the two countries' ties, and I have conveyed a message from President Salva Kiir Mayardit to President Omer al-Bashir dealing with resolving those issues."

"We have to resolve all the outstanding issues for the interests of the two peoples and the two countries," he noted.

He went on saying that "the important message is that we want to resolve all the issues and quickly move to fields of joint cooperation and development."

In September 2012, Sudan and South Sudan signed a cooperation agreement in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa under the patronage of the African Union.

The agreement included a package of understandings related to security, citizens' status, border and economic issues. However, the signed agreements did not tackle the issues of Abyei and border demarcation.

The border issue represents one of the biggest obstacles hindering the settlement of differences between Sudan and South Sudan, revolving around five border areas, including Abyei, Dabatal-Fakhar, Jabel Al-Migainis, Samaha and Kafia Kanji. Enditem