Egypt and Sudan strengthening ties

President Morsi is on a two-day visit to Sudan with the prospect of promoting bilateral relations and cooperation. He is accompanied with a high powered business delegation. Sudanese came out in the hundreds to give him a warm welcome.
Speaking upon his arrival, Morsi said that the “internal and external challenges” that both countries have gone through should push them to “work together to better use the resources and energies available” with the “aspiration for a better future.” He added that the two land routes linking Sudan and Egypt would soon be inaugurated and new bilateral agricultural and industrial projects will soon follow.
Morsi recalled that the previous visit of his Prime Minister was a huge step in their diplomatic relations. During Prime Minister Qandil’s visit, both countries showed their desire “to integrate their manufacturing industries in the area of farm products.” He said Egypt is looking forward to a “real economic integration” in all domains.
President Omar Hassan al-Bashir of Sudan stated that they “are keen on building strategic partnership with Egypt on the firm grounds of historical ties, common understandings and effective cooperative agreements.” The president allocated a million square meter of land in the north of the country to the Egyptian industrial area. He also decided to upgrade the representation of the joint commission to the presidential level in a bid to make the bilateral relation more dynamic. The relationship between the two countries has been on the decline since the ousting of Hosni Mubarak.
Sudan’s foreign minister said Morsi’s visit would “remove all impurities” that marked previous bilateral relations.
Both countries are however experiencing difficult economic times and are being urged by the International Monetary Fund to implement strict austerity measures due to their budget deficit.