Turkey on Sunday welcomed the signing of a peace agreement between the transitional government of Sudan and armed groups as an important step toward the preservation of the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

"We welcome the signing of the agreement, which was previously initialed, between the transitional government of Sudan and the armed opposition groups in Juba yesterday (Oct. 3),'' the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

"We believe that this agreement will constitute an important step toward the preservation of Sudan's sovereignty and territorial integrity," the statement said.

Turkey will continue to support all efforts aimed at attaining peace and stability in the "friendly and brotherly" Sudan, it added.

The deal covers a number of issues, from land ownership, reparations and compensation to wealth and power-sharing, as well as the return of refugees and those internally displaced by the unrest.

Ending Sudan's internal conflicts has been a top priority of the transitional government, in power since longtime dictator Omar al-Bashir was ousted in a pro-democracy uprising.

The agreement was signed by the Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF), which is comprised of armed groups from the war-ravaged western Darfur region, as well as the southern states of the Blue Nile and South Kordofan.

Guarantors of the deal from Chad, Qatar, Egypt, the African Union, the European Union and the United Nations also signed the agreement.