Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will travel to the Central African nation of Chad in the next few weeks to officially announce the renewal of diplomatic ties between the two countries, the Prime Minister’s Office said Tuesday. However, no official date has yet been set for the trip.
Chadian President Idriss Déby, who is on a historic visit to Israel, confirmed on Tuesday that Israel and Muslim-majority Chad plan to renew diplomatic relations, which were severed in 1972.
The move will not affect Chad’s position on the Palestinian issue, he said.
Déby, who did not visit the Palestinian Authority, said P.A. leader Mahmoud Abbas was “a friend.”
“We have no problem with Abbas or the Palestinians. He [Abbas] is our friend and participated in all the African union committees,” said Déby.
Netanyahu and Déby met in Jerusalem on Tuesday and discussed increasing bilateral cooperation in the fields of counterterrorism, border defense, agriculture, technology, solar energy, water and health, the Prime Minister’s Office said.
“We discussed the great changes that are taking place in the Arab world in its relations with Israel,” Netanyahu said after the meeting.
An official in the Prime Minister’s Office told Israel Hayom that Israel is actively pursuing ties with other Central African nations and that resuming diplomatic ties with Chad is “a breakthrough that will affect the entire region.”
