His Highness Minister of Foreign Affairs: Saudi Arabia will do its utmost to ensure that Sudan takes its natural place at Arab, African, International levels

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia hosted today the 8th Meeting of the Friends of Sudan, as the Chair of the Friends of Sudan Group.
The virtual meeting was chaired by Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, Minister of Foreign Affairs with the participation of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Sudan, Abdullah Hamdok, the Republic of South Sudan, the guest of honor of the meeting represented by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Batricia Khamisa Wani, Adviser to the President of the Republic of South Sudan for Security Affairs, Chairman of the Mediation Team, Tut Galuak, as the Republic of South Sudan is the sponsor of the Juba peace talks, in addition to the peace partners who are parties to the negotiations in the Juba peace talks, the Head of Sudan Revolutionary Front Dr. Al-Hadi Idris, the Leader of the Sudan Liberation Army Minni Minnawi, and 25 countries and organizations.
At the beginning of his speech, His Highness Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, Minister of Foreign Affairs, conveyed the greetings of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosque and HRH the Crown Prince to their Excellencies, friends and partners of peace in Sudan, and welcomed them in the Friends of Sudan meeting in Riyadh.
His Highness also welcomed the Prime Minister, Dr. Abdullah Hamdok, who participated in the meeting.
His Highness said: On behalf of the Friends of Sudan, I would also like to welcome our honorary guests from South Sudan represented by Her Excellency the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Batricia Khamisa Wani, H.E. Mr. Tut Galuak, the Chairman of South Sudan Government Committee for Peace Mediation in Sudan and His Excellency the Minister of Investment, Dhieu Mathok Diing who have played an important role in hosting the Juba Peace Talks.
On this occasion, His Highness reaffirmed the full political support to the efforts of the Prime Minister of Sudan in striving for the success of the transitional phase and the realization of the legitimate hopes of the Sudanese people for freedom, justice, and peace. And said: "We are well aware that the road to sustainable peace, development and prosperity in Sudan is fraught with challenges, however it is the only way to ensure a bright future for Sudan. We also stress the importance of respecting the sovereignty of Sudan and the independence of its decisions in addressing the root causes of the conflict in order to reach comprehensive peace and strengthen its national unity and regional security."
His Highness added: As we welcome the partners for peace today, I would like to emphasize the importance of taking advantage of this historic opportunity to realize sustainable peace, security, and justice in Sudan and give priority to national interests above all disagreements and conflicts.
His Highness the Minister of Foreign Affairs affirmed that the success of the peace process is directly linked to economic reform and sustainable development. As such, the Kingdom appreciates the efforts of the Transitional Government in addressing the economic challenges exasperated by the COVID-19 pandemic, stressing the importance of the continued support of all partners to the Transitional Government in order to enable efficient and timely implementation of economic reform, as well as initiating the debt relief through the World Bank and IMF.
In this regard, His Highness expressed appreciation to the United States for its efforts to remove Sudan from the United States List of State Sponsors of Terrorism, as it is crucial to the success of the economic reform.
His Highness said: "Supporting Sudan, at this juncture, is an important investment to the maintenance of peace and security in the region and the world. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will exert all efforts possible to enable Sudan to resume its rightful place at the forefront of the Arab world and as a productive member of the African region and international community."