The Sudanese ambassador to Cairo, Abdel Mahmoud abdel Halim, has described the bilateral ties between Egypt and Sudan as strong, denying any crisis and indicating huge attention from both countries toward joint interests.
Although Egypt’s security is not separate from Sudan, this does not prevent conflicts in viewpoints, which is normal, he added.
In remarks on Sunday evening, he said the two sides are trying to solve some "simple" issues, including the case of the Sudanese nationals accused of excavating metals in Egypt. “Despite the presence of a presidential decision and frequent promises from Egypt on finalizing the issue, measures for returning their property, cars, communication means and metal excavation devices are being taken very slowly.”
“There is another problem that we discussed with Egyptian Foreign Ministry, which is the recent decision on increasing the fees for visas and residency permits, that has been applied on all non-Egyptians in Egypt, especially Sudanese ones. We have been in communication with the ministry to cancel this increase on Sudanese nationals in accordance with the four freedoms agreement between Egypt and Sudan, especially as Egyptian airports demand that Sudanese nationals pay the fees before leaving, which causes congestion and delay,” he added.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
