Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said he hopes Sudan can overcome its upheaval peacefully through “national conciliation” and urged it to try to operate under a “normal democratic process.”
Speaking at a joint news conference with the president of Burkina Faso on Thursday, Erdoğan stated disdain for coups but refrained from voicing support for Sudan’s former President Omar al-Bashir, who was ousted and arrested by the military on Thursday.
“We have deep-rooted, historic relations with Sudan. We, of course, support the continuation of these deep-rooted ties,” Erdoğan said.
The Turkish leader has in the past hosted al-Bashir and has defended him over accusations of war crimes, saying “a Muslim cannot commit genocide.”
In 2017 Sudan agreed to lease the Red Sea island of Suakin to Turkey after Ankara requested permission to restore Ottoman-era relics. Turkey has denied claims that it wants to construct a naval base there.
