Saudi foreign minister discusses Sudan developments with Kuwaiti, Swedish counterparts

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan received a phone call from his Kuwaiti counterpart Sheikh Salem Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the Kingdom’s foreign ministry said on Saturday.

At the beginning of the call, Sheikh Salem congratulated Prince Faisal on the successful evacuation of Saudi citizens and a number of other nationals from Sudan to the Kingdom, “praising the high efficiency of the Saudi authorities that contributed to the success of the operations with all professionalism and competence.”

The two ministers discussed efforts to stop the military escalation between the conflicting parties, end the violence, and provide the necessary protection for Sudanese civilians and residents, in a way that guarantees the security, stability and well-being of Sudan and its people.

🇸🇦📞🇸🇪 | Foreign Minister HH Prince @FaisalbinFarhan receives a phone call from #Sweden’s Foreign Minister @TobiasBillstrom. pic.twitter.com/BSxVGPnRVi

— Foreign Ministry 🇸🇦 (@KSAmofaEN) April 22, 2023

Saudi Arabia confirmed on Saturday that 91 citizens had been evacuated, and 66 other nationals from 11 different countries, including Kuwait, Qatar, the UAE, Egypt, Tunisia, Pakistan, India, Bulgaria, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Canada, and Burkina Faso.

It was the first announced evacuation of civilians since fighting in Sudan broke out on April 15, killing over 400 people so far.

Meanwhile, Prince Faisal also received a similar phone call from Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom to discuss developments in Sudan, efforts to stop the violence, and provide necessary protection for civilians.

The two sides also reviewed bilateral relations and ways to enhance and develop them in various fields, and discussed aspects of intensifying joint coordination on many issues of common concern.