![President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) and President of Sudan Omar Al-Bashir (R) hold a joint press conference following their inter-delegation meeting in Khartoum, Sudan on 24 December, 2017 [Binnur Ege Gürün/Anadolu Agency]](https://i0.wp.com/d2.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/20171224_2_27700947_29177148-scaled.jpg?fit=920%2C611&ssl=1)
Turkey and Sudan have agreed to set up a “strategic cooperation council” to strengthen economic ties, their presidents said at a news conference in Khartoum on Sunday after the first visit by a Turkish leader to the African nation.
The countries hope gradually to increase bilateral trade ties to $10 billion a year from the current $500 million, and signed 12 agreements on military, economic and agricultural cooperation.
Sudan’s economy has been struggling since the south seceded in 2011, taking with it three-quarters of the country’s oil output.
In recent years, Turkey has boosted investments in Sudan.