Russia’s Zarubezhneft Gets More Oil Blocks in Sudan

Sudanese official shows new blocks of oil during a news conference in Khartoum Dec 19, 2011. (Reuters photo)

August 19, 2022 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan offered more oil blocks to Russia’s Zarubezhneft oil producer said a Sudanese official at the end of a ministerial visit to Moscow on Friday.

A Sudanese ministerial delegation headed by the minister of minerals ended a three-day visit from August 17 to 19 to Moscow where they participate in the meeting of the joint economic between Sudan and Russia on Friday.

“We discussed Zarubezhneft’s proposal for investments in Sudan. We previously provided several blocks for development, and now we have added more, in regions with gas and oil potential,” Director General of Oil Exploration and Production Administration at the Sudanese Ministry of Oil, al-Tahir Abul-Hassan said at the end of the joint meetings on Friday.

“I think by October we will pass on the necessary information so that they can start looking at these areas,” Abul Hassan added according to the Interfax news agency.

The military-led government in Khartoum has expanded bilateral relations with Russia which is straggling to enhance political and economic cooperation and develop influence in Africa after the imposition of international sanctions after the invasion of Ukraine.

For his part, Dmitry Semyonov, head of the Russian Energy Ministry’s International Cooperation Department, told reporters that the two countries consider expanding oil and cooperation.

Semyonov said they agreed with Sudan’s energy and oil ministry and state-oil firm Sudapet to increase oil exploration in the country.

“We also agreed to discuss expanding cooperation in the oil sector beyond just production, to look at oil recovery technologies, associated gas utilization, oil refining, petrochemicals and training,” Semyonov further said.

In a statement extended to Sudan Tribune on Friday, the Minister of Minerals Mohamed Bashir said the two countries signed several agreements in 10 sectors including “energy and mining, economy, agriculture, trade, industry, tourism, transportation, communications, geology and higher education.”

Timur Samoletov of the Russian Agriculture Ministry told reporters on Friday that the two countries plan to expand and diversify trade in agricultural products

“A number of agreements were reached during the expert consultations. First, strengthening bilateral cooperation in the agro-industrial complex, as well as on increasing and diversifying the turnover of agricultural products,” Samoletov said.

Samoletov further said that the volume of trade in agricultural products between Russia and Sudan exceeded $287 million in 2021 and that it totalled $137.7 million in January-July 2022.

During the year 2022 until July, Sudan paid some $110 million to secure wheat from Russia and $37 million to import sunflower oil.

(ST)