S. Sudan has the best cooperation with Turkey in the Middle East - GlobalPost

South Sudan has more cooperation with Turkey than with any other country in the Middle East, South Sudan's top negotiator Pagan Amum has noted.

In an exclusive interview with Today's Zaman, Amum said that the new-born country is looking forward to establish a “strategic partnership” with Turkey in many fields. Amum is the secretary-general of South Sudan's ruling Sudan People's Liberation Movement and chief negotiator with Sudan over post-independence issues.

“We have huge resources. We see Turkey as a partner to develop those resources,” said Amum, mentioning that Turkey could do a lot for building infrastructure in the agriculture, oil and gas industries and construction sector.

"South Sudan is in the heart of Africa and definitely has an important place in contributing to Turkish-African relations," he also said.

Amum was on an official visit to Turkey upon an invitation from Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu. During his visit, which ended on Friday, Amum had meetings in Ankara and Istanbul, as well as a private talk with Davutoglu on Tuesday.

Amum stated that at the top of the agenda of talks with Davutoglu is strategic cooperation. He also said that Turkey's contribution to the pursuit of peace in South Sudan during the negotiation period with its northern neighbor is important.

Turkey has friendly relations with the two neighbors -- South Sudan and Sudan. Its mediation on outstanding issues, such as disputed territories and oil revenues, between the two is viewed as important by both countries.

South Sudan seceded from the north in 2011 after decades of civil war.

The two countries have signed nine agreements related to their negotiation process, including one regarding security and creating a buffer zone between the two neighbors.

Under the new deals, both sides agreed to restart the oil flow, grant their citizens residency in the other country, boost border trade and encourage close cooperation between their central banks.

The long-standing oil problem between the two now seems to be resolved, as South Sudan has agreed to pay transit fees to Sudan. The pipelines, refineries and port through which South Sudanese oil is exported are in Sudan as South Sudan is a landlocked country.

South Sudan will pay a transit fee to Sudan, which is $1 per barrel, in addition to tariffs they would pay for the rent of the pipeline, which is around $5.6 for the eastern Dar Blend pipeline and $8.5 dollars for the western Nile Blend pipeline in Sudan.

South Sudan and Sudan also withdrew their troops from their shared border as agreed in a deal brokered by the African Union in September. Both sides still need to decide on who owns Abyei and other disputed regions.

“The African Union [AU] proposed to resolve the problem of Abyei by establishing a referendum commission and conducting a referendum to ask people [in the region] to decide their fate. We accepted it. The AU considers this a fair solution,” said Amum.

“But the government of Sudan has not accepted it, so we are waiting for them to accept it, so that we can implement it,” he noted.

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/asianet/130406/s-sudan-has-the-best-cooperation-turkey-the-middle-east