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Israel-Sudan towards normalization of relations. PHOTO/JPost
TEL AVIV – Minister of Foreign Affairs Israel Eli Cohen got approval Sudan to sign a normalization deal with Israel. The agreement was reached during a historic one-day trip he undertook on Thursday (2/2/2023) to meet the country’s president, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.
“Today’s visit to Sudan lays the foundation for a historic peace agreement with a strategic Arab and Muslim nation,” Cohen said after details of the classified trip originally undertaken by a State Department delegation were made public.
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According to Cohen, during that trip, a short rough text was agreed upon. “They want it (the deal), they understand it will contribute to them and we are also ready,” he said, as quoted by the Jerusalem Post.
The actual deal will be signed later this year when the transfer of power from the military to civilian rule is finalized. Sudan’s military, which has led the country since an October 2021 coup but says it intends to hand over power to a civilian government, is seen as leading the way toward formalizing ties with Israel.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s new government, which has been in power for less than two months, has heralded the pending deal as a win within a week of hosting US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and inaugurating the Chad embassy in Ramat Gan.
“A peace agreement between Israel and Sudan will enhance regional stability and contribute to the national security of the State of Israel,” Cohen said.
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“Signing the peace agreement will provide an opening for relations with other countries on the African continent and strengthening existing relations with countries on the continent,” he added.
Cohen and Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ronen Levy, who was with him on the trip, were heavily involved in promoting relations between the two countries.
The strengthening of the alliance received support and support from the Biden administration, including and Cohen, in his remarks, thanked US President Joe Biden, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, Blinken and US Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides.
(esn)
