Turkish president wraps up historical debut visit to Sudan

KHARTOUM, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday left Khartoum after wrapped up a historical debut visit to Sudan since the independence of the African country.

During his three-day visit, Erdogan and his Sudanese counterpart Omar al-Bashir held official tlaks to deepen bilateral ties in all fields.

The Turkish president also visited the historic city of Swakin in eastern Sudan which boasts Ottoman historical heritage.

A Sudanese-Turkish economic forum was also convened during the visit, where the two countries signed 12 agreements to boost cooperation in the economic, commercial, military, political and cultural fields.

Speaking at a press conference at the conclusion of Erdogan's visit, Sudanese Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour said "the visit is historic and likely to boost the two countries' bilateral ties."

Erdogan arrived in Sudan's capital Khartoum on Sunday as the first stop of his tour in Africa which will also take him to Chad and Tunisia.

Erdogan's visit marked the first time that a Turkish president has ever visited Sudan since the independence of the North African nation in 1956.

During the visit, the Turkish president was accompanied by a large economic delegation of more than 200 Turkish businessmen. Enditem