KHARTOUM, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- Turkey on Tuesday denied intention to establish a military base on Sudan's Red Sea island Suakin, which is leased to Turkey for restoration and development.
Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Hakan Cavusoglu said those who raised this issue means to damage the relations between Sudan and Turkey.
"Suakin Island, with its borders and natural geographical location, is a limited area that does not allow establishment of a military area," Cavusoglu said during his two-day visit to Sudan.
The Turkish official has held talks with Sudan's First Vice-President Bakri Hassan Saleh and Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour.
He is also expected to visit Suakin area on Wednesday and hold meetings with Sudanese officials in the Red Sea State.
Calling Suakin as an important and ancient historical monument, Cavusoglu said that Turkey's projects on the development, archeological restoration and cultural revival there will turn it into "a center of attraction like it used to be."
With historical sites dating back to the Ottoman era, Suakin city also has a port that carries commodities and passengers to Saudi Arabia.
In December 2017, Sudan agreed to lease Suakin island to Turkey for restoration for an unspecified period of time.