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KHARTOUM, June 20 (Xinhua) -- Uganda on Monday asked Sudan to support its candidate for the post of chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission.
Uganda's State Minister for Foreign Affairs Oryem Okello, who arrived in Khartoum Monday, delivered a message from the Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni to his Sudanese counterpart Omar al-Bashir.
"The Ugandan minister, as special envoy of the Ugandan president, met President al-Bashir and handed him a written message from the Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni," Sudan's Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour told reporters.
"The envoy presented a request for backing Uganda's candidate for the post of the chairperson of the AU Commission," he said.
Ghandour reiterated Sudan's keenness on solidarity of the African continent, saying "we support any joint African effort. We are supporters of the African solidarity and African unity."
The Ugandan envoy, for his part, told reporters that Presidents al-Bashir and Museveni have strong influence in the region and must cooperate for the interest of eastern Africa.
Ties between Sudan and Uganda have soured for about 10 years, but they are currently witnessing improvement following exchanged visits by the two countries' presidents.
In September last year, the Ugandan president made a rare visit to Khartoum, which constituted a turning point in the relationship between the two countries, while on May 12, al-Bashir visited Uganda and held talks with Museveni. Enditem
