Putin asked to send naval facility deal with Sudan to parliament

MOSCOW The Russian government has asked the president to send to parliament for ratification the agreement signed with Sudan to establish the Russian naval facility in the North African country. A related decree, signed by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, was published on the official portal on Friday. Sudan had signed the agreement for the establishment of a logistics point for the Russian navy on July 23, 2019, while Moscow inked it on Dec. 1, 2020. In November 2020, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the Defense Ministry to sign an agreement with Sudan to establish a Russian naval facility. In June 2021, the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of Sudan, Muhammad Usman al-Hussein announced that the government in Khartoum was reviewing the agreement without specifying any outcomes. The facility is expected to include the coastal zone, water area, and mooring zone. The Sudanese side has the right to use the specified mooring zone in agreement with the Russian side's authorized body, according to the document. Four ships may be simultaneously anchored at the planned facility, including warships with a nuclear power plant, on the condition that nuclear and environmental safety norms are followed. The base, when opened, will be Russia’s second naval facility outside of the former Soviet Union territory, after Tartus in Syria.