The Sudanese ambassador to Cairo Abdel Mohamoud Abdel al-Halim said on Monday that he will return to Egypt to resume his duties during the first week of March.
In statements to Al-Masry Al-Youm, Halim suggested that he would return after the 7th Conference of Sudanese Ambassadors Abroad which kicked off in the Sudanese capital Khartoum on Monday and continues until Wednesday.
Haliem left Cairo on January 5 after the Sudanese Foreign Ministry decided to recall him for consultations. The move came following news reports in Ethiopia claiming that Egypt is seeking to exclude Sudan from the tripartite negotiations over the impacts of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) currently under construction.
Egypt was against building the dam and, initially, so was Sudan. However, since, Sudan has changed its stance and is now supportive of the project.
Another source of tensions between Egypt and Sudan is the dispute over the Halayeb and Shalateen region. Sudan accuses Egypt of occupying the territory, while Egypt says it is rightfully under its sovereignty.
Sudan’s Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Ghandour on Sunday said that Egypt and Sudan agreed not to escalate the dispute regarding the Halayeb and Shalateen area, instead leaving the matter to the presidents of the two countries.
Ghandour described Sudanese-Egyptian relations as historic and undeniable, saying that the two neighbors have at times suffered from ups and downs, but never reached the level of a confrontation.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
