Thursday, January 4, 2018

Turkey-Sudan Relations: A Turkish Military Base in the Red Sea?

Al-Monitor, a Washington-based media site with a focus on the Middle East, published on 3 January 2018 an article titled "Erdogan's Ottoman Dream Causes Storm in Red Sea" by Fehim Tastekin.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan recently visited Sudan, where he signed 13 agreements. Those with a financial commitment reportedly are financed by Qatar, a current ally of Turkey. Turkey's aid agency, TIKA, is already working to restore relics of its Ottoman heritage on Sudan's Red Sea island of Suakin. President Erdogan reportedly asked Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir if Turkey could establish a military base at Suakin. If this were to happen, it would anger Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE while it would be welcomed by Iran and Qatar and possibly even Somalia and Ethiopia. In any event, it would change the political/security dynamic in the Red Sea region.