Sudan's Foreign Ministry said Sudan and Zambia signed a framework agreement on Saturday to establish a joint ministerial committee.

The agreement came at a meeting co-chaired by Sudan's Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour and his Zambia's counterpart visiting Harry Kalaba in Sudan's capital Khartoum.

"The talks reviewed enhanced bilateral cooperation in the economic, commercial and cultural fields, together with enhanced mechanisms of political coordination on regional and international issues," Ghandour told reporters.

"Sudan and Zambia maintain deeply-rooted ties," the Sudanese minister noted.

For his part, Kalaba, the first senior Zambian official to visit Sudan over the past thirty years, said his visit was meant to "develop bilateral relations in all fields."

"Sudan is playing an important role in Africa by virtue of its location at the heart of the continent," said the foreign minister.

Kalaba also announced a scheduled visit for Zambian President Edgar Lungu to Sudan.

source: Xinhua