Khartoum (QNA) - The State Minister at the Sudanese Ministry of Transport, Roads and Bridges

, Eng Ibrahim Yousuf Abdullah, said that the strategic economic partnership between his country and the State of Qatar on the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the new port of Suakin in the Red Sea state of eastern Sudan is proceeding as planned and achieving significant positive progress in all its tracks.
The cost of the partnership projects agreed upon is $4bn financed by Qatar, giving the Sudanese government 51 percent and Qatar 49 percent. He added the projects are in the first phase which is estimated at $500m and to be completed in 30 months.
The Minister affirmed the partnership with Qatar has provided the Port Authority of Sudan with a promising opportunity to benefit from the expertise and experience of its Qatari counterpart, most importantly, the latest technologies and international systems as well as capacity building and infrastructure development. He added that the Sudanese-Qatari partnership holds great promise for the people of Sudan to create economic openness with the world and promote integration into the global economy, appreciating the role played by Qatar in achieving sustainable development in the country and pushing forward the comprehensive economic renaissance.
He noted that Qatar, after mediating in the realisation of peace in Darfur, turned to economic partnership and helping Sudan in achieving food security as well as enabling it to overcome the challenges of safety.
The Doha Document for Peace in Darfur was signed by the Sudanese government and the Liberation and Justice Movement on July 14, 2011. Representatives of Burkina Faso, the African Union, the UN and Qatar, which mediated between the parties over 30 months of negotiations, also signed it.