German foreign minister arrives in Sudan for talks

KHARTOUM

German Foreign Affairs Minister Heiko Maas on Tuesday arrived in Khartoum for talks with the Sudanese officials.

According to Sudanese Foreign Ministry, Maas visited the surroundings of headquarters of Sudanese Army and the Khartoum University where Sudanese sit-ins and demonstrations took place during the months-long popular protests against former president Omar al-Bashir.

Commenting on the visit, Mohammed al-Toum, an official at the Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the visit comes at the time "Sudan hopes that Germany can play a positive role during the country's transitional government".

He added that the visit comes to strengthen the bilateral and historical relations between the two countries.

The top German diplomat is expected to meet, later on Tuesday, the head of Sudan's Sovereign Council General Abdel-Fattah al-Burhan along with the newly-appointed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok.

Last week, a German parliamentary delegation visited Sudan and met with a handful of Sudanese officials.

* Ahmed Asmar contributed to this report from Ankara