KHARTOUM: Russia鈥檚 top diplomat Sergei Lavrov held talks in Khartoum on Thursday with Sudanese officials, pledging support for their call to lift long-standing UN sanctions on the African nation.

Lavrov鈥檚 two-day visit is part of Russian efforts to shore up influence on the African continent amid broad international attempts to isolate Moscow following its invasion of Ukraine last year.

鈥淲e stand with the Sudanese side in its endeavour to lift the sanctions imposed by the United Nations Security Council,鈥� Lavrov told a press conference, standing alongside Khartoum鈥檚 acting Foreign Minister Ali Al-Sadiq.

Sadiq emphasized the need for the two countries to cooperate at the United Nations and to push 鈥渇or reform ... in the Security Council.鈥�

Sudan has recently repeated calls for Security Council to lift sanctions and an arms embargo imposed during conflict in the country鈥檚 Darfur region in 2005.

Lavrov also held talks on Thursday with army chief Gen. Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, who in October 2021 led a military coup that derailed Sudan鈥檚 transition to civilian rule and triggered cuts to crucial Western aid.

His arrival in Sudan marked the latest stop in a tour that has included Mali and Mauritania. 

Last month, Lavrov visited Eritrea, Angola, Eswatini and South Africa.

The Russian diplomat also met with Al-Burhan鈥檚 deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the powerful paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.

Sudan and Russia have been 鈥渃ooperating in the fields of economy and investment,鈥� Lavrov said, hailing Sudanese efforts 鈥渢o attract Russian investments.鈥�

Counterpart Sadiq said Sudan would take part in a Moscow-Africa forum slated to take place in Russia in July.

Sudan relied militarily on Russia under former President Omar Bashir, who was ousted in 2019 following three decades in power marked by international isolation and crippling US sanctions.

Its military leaders who toppled Bashir maintained ties with Moscow while a transitional government sought to repair relations with the US and the West.

Earlier this week, special envoys and representatives including from the United States, Norway, Britain, Germany and France arrived in Sudan.

US Ambassador to Sudan John Godfrey said on Wednesday on Twitter that the representatives came 鈥渢o support鈥� a December deal signed between Sudan鈥檚 military leaders and civilian factions.

Washington delisted Sudan as a state sponsor of terror in December 2020, and last year appointed its first ambassador to Khartoum in nearly 25 years.