Bulgaria–Sudan relations
Encyclopedia
Bulgaria
and Sudan
established diplomatic relations on July 1, 1956. In 1967, Bulgaria sent the first Bulgarian ambassador to Khartoum
. The activities of the Bulgarian embassy in Khartoum were terminated in April 1990, and later reestablished in March, 2005. In 2006 the General Consulate of the Sudan, in Sofia
, Bulgaria has been upgraded to the rank of embassy.
Bulgaria was one of the first countries which recognised (in 1956) Sudan's independence, at which time relations were established. The two nations have cooperated on industrial and agricultural products. Pilots from Bulgaria annually do crop dusting to assist Sudan's cotton farms. In April 2002, trade agreements were executed in Khartoum between the Bulgarian and Sudnaese governments.
According to Abdullahi Hamad al-Azreg, Consul General from the Sudan to Bulgaria, six thousand students from the Sudan were educated in Bulgarian universities from the 1950s through the 1990s. Two thousand Bulgarians lived in the Sudan in 2004. Between 1997 and 1999, the Bulgarian consortium Balkan constructed roads in Sudan, and negotiations were made in 2002 to settle the remaining $1.3 million in debts owed.
In 2002, the manufacturer Beta, located in Cherven Bryag
, had begun the export of 122mm self-propelling cannons to the Sudan, and continued to do so after the United Nations imposed an embargo upon military trade by member nations to Sudan. Although Bulgaria nominally supported the embargo, the exports of Beta cannons continued, with the cannons being declared as "spare parts for construction vehicles". Beta managed to export goods worth half a billion US dollars until the violations were exposed in 2003.
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
and Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
established diplomatic relations on July 1, 1956. In 1967, Bulgaria sent the first Bulgarian ambassador to Khartoum
Khartoum
Khartoum is the capital and largest city of Sudan and of Khartoum State. It is located at the confluence of the White Nile flowing north from Lake Victoria, and the Blue Nile flowing west from Ethiopia. The location where the two Niles meet is known as "al-Mogran"...
. The activities of the Bulgarian embassy in Khartoum were terminated in April 1990, and later reestablished in March, 2005. In 2006 the General Consulate of the Sudan, in Sofia
Sofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
, Bulgaria has been upgraded to the rank of embassy.
Bilateral agreements
Bulgaria and Sudan signed an agreement of September 18, 1967, providing for mutual recognition of scientific degrees, and other academic credentials, between the two countries; an agreement on March 1, 1969, to ease visa requirements for citizens of one nation to visit the other; an agreement on December 29, 1970 for aviation communication between the two nations; and a maritime agreement between Bulgaria and Sudan, reached on November 13, 1970. http://www.sudansof.org/HistoryDip.htm. In 2002, Bulgaria and Sudan signed an agreement of reciprocal recognition of most favored nation status, and an agreement on reciprocal investment promotion and protection.Bulgaria was one of the first countries which recognised (in 1956) Sudan's independence, at which time relations were established. The two nations have cooperated on industrial and agricultural products. Pilots from Bulgaria annually do crop dusting to assist Sudan's cotton farms. In April 2002, trade agreements were executed in Khartoum between the Bulgarian and Sudnaese governments.
According to Abdullahi Hamad al-Azreg, Consul General from the Sudan to Bulgaria, six thousand students from the Sudan were educated in Bulgarian universities from the 1950s through the 1990s. Two thousand Bulgarians lived in the Sudan in 2004. Between 1997 and 1999, the Bulgarian consortium Balkan constructed roads in Sudan, and negotiations were made in 2002 to settle the remaining $1.3 million in debts owed.
Military assistance
In 2000, Sudan and Bulgaria had signed an agreement of several hundred million dollars for the export of Bulgarian weapons and military equipment to the Sudan, including mobile missile launch pads and shoulder-held anti-tank missiles.In 2002, the manufacturer Beta, located in Cherven Bryag
Cherven Bryag
Cherven Bryag is a town in northern Bulgaria, a capital of the Cherven Bryag municipality, Pleven Province. It is situated on the right shore of the Zlatna Panega in river Iskar, 137 km north-east of Sofia, 53 km south-west of Pleven, 12 km north-west of Lukovit, 56 km east...
, had begun the export of 122mm self-propelling cannons to the Sudan, and continued to do so after the United Nations imposed an embargo upon military trade by member nations to Sudan. Although Bulgaria nominally supported the embargo, the exports of Beta cannons continued, with the cannons being declared as "spare parts for construction vehicles". Beta managed to export goods worth half a billion US dollars until the violations were exposed in 2003.