May 22, 2022 (KHARTOUM) – A high-level South Sudanese delegation is in Sudan’s capital, Khartoum for bilateral talks aimed at developing joint cooperation in the petroleum sector as well as discussions on the technical and financial arrangements between the two neighbouring countries.

The delegation, headed by the undersecretaries in the Petroleum and Finance ministries, were accompanied by several technicians to Khartoum.

According to SUNA, officials from the two countries will evaluate the implementation of the previous agreement in terms of financial and technical arrangements and discuss its implementation challenges in order to set a framework for renewing joint agreements in the petroleum field.

The Sudanese Energy and Petroleum Minister, Engineer Mohamed Abdellah, stressed the importance of talks aimed at renewal of agreements to transport and process South Sudan crude through Sudan’s facilities, referring to previous agreements signed in 2012, but expired in March 2022.

He, however, acknowledged that the previous agreements faced several challenges, including political and technical ones, which were addressed in a “friendly” and “fraternal” manner between the two brotherly countries.

Abdullah said he was optimistic that the two parties would reach new agreements regarding the transportation and processing of South Sudan’s crude oil, which he said was based on the experience of previous agreements and ways of implementing them and addressing challenges.

For his part, however, South Sudan’s Petroleum ministry’s undersecretary, Awow Daniel Chuang, said they would discuss the oil agreement, economy as well as the agreement signed between Juba and Khartoum in 2012.

He further pointed out that they had reached a point where the agreement reached its end in 2022 and this agreement was for a period of three and a half years, after which the two countries would work for oil production for another three years.

South Sudan, which seceded from Sudan in 2011, relies on oil exports to fund its budget.