ISTANBUL (AA) – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday said his country remains committed to support Sudan.
Speaking at Khartoum University in Sudanese capital after being awarded an honorary doctorate, Erdogan said Turkey would continue to be with the Sudanese people through its institutions and organizations.
The Turkish president said he especially asked Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir to allow Turkey to restore artifacts in Suakin port city.
“There are mosques of Hanafi and Shafi’i, which are restored by TIKA [Turkish Cooperation and Development Agency], ” he added.
Suakin, one of the oldest seaports in Africa, was used by African Muslims who set out for pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.
Ottomans used the port city to secure the Hejaz province — present-day western Saudi Arabia — from attackers using the Red Sea front.
Erdogan further stated the future will be of the African continent before the end of this century.
“As long as we stand together, we make effort and do not bow down as we did not bow down on [the issue of] Jerusalem,” he added.
Erdogan also said that Turkey and Sudan worked on another project to establish a Sudan-Turkey University.
“We will give instructions on this as soon as we return [to Turkey], ” the Turkish president said.
Erdogan's visit, the first by a Turkish president, was welcomed by his Sudanese counterpart Omar al-Bashir who said it would boost relations between the two countries.
