Israeli foreign minister heads delegation to discuss Sudan normalisation

Israeli foreign minister heads delegation to discuss Sudan normalisation
2023-02-02T18:05:50+00:00

Shafaq News / Israeli foreign minister Eli Cohen was in Sudan on Thursday to discuss deeper cooperation between the two countries, including in security and military matters, with Sudan’s sovereign council head General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.

Burhan’s office confirmed the visit, which took place in the capital Khartoum, in a statement. It was the first official acknowledgement of such a visit by Sudan, although there have been a series of exchanges between officials from the two countries in recent years.

Two Sudanese sources told Reuters that reaching agreement on the normalisation of ties between the two countries was on the agenda.

Sudan agreed to take steps to normalise ties with Israel in a 2020 deal brokered by former U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration, alongside normalisation agreements between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco, known as the “Abraham Accords”.

In January 2021, Sudan said that its justice minister at the time, Nasredeen Abdulbari, had signed the Abraham Accords during a visit by U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.

There was no immediate comment from Israeli officials, but Cohen’s office said he would convene a news conference in the evening “upon his return from an historic state visit”. It did not elaborate.

Cooperation on agriculture, energy, health, water, and education were also discussed during the meeting, Sudan’s sovereign council said.

(Reuters)

Shafaq Live
Shafaq Live
Radio radio icon