Israel’s Foreign Minister Eli Cohen on Thursday said Israel and Sudan have agreed to press on with efforts to normalize relations between the two countries, reported Reuters. He said the text of a peace agreement has been finalized and will be signed sometime later this year.
After returning to Tel Aviv from a one-day visit to Sudan’s capital Khartoum, Cohen said the trip was made with the consent of the United States. He said the signing of the deal is expected to take place in Washington after the transfer of power in Sudan to a civilian government that will be established as part of the ongoing transition process in the country.
Israel’s foreign minister emphasized the symbolism of a peace deal between Israel and Khartoum as he announced the breakthrough. The UAE, Bahrain, and Morocco have officially normalized relations with Israel since 2020 as part of the US-brokered Abraham Accords.
The Israeli minister said the peace agreement between the two countries will promote regional stability and contribute to the national security of the State of Israel.
Sudan agreed two years ago to normalize relations with Israel but a deal has never been implemented. The deal continued to get delayed when Gen. Burhan led a coup d’état in 2021 that was slammed by the international community, including the U.S.
Al-Burhan, the chairman of Sudan’s Transitional Sovereign Council, has served because the de facto ruler of the nation since the October 2021 coup.
In a statement, Burhan’s office said Israel’s Foreign Minister Cohen and Chairman of Sudan’s Sovereignty Council Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan discussed deepening cooperation between the two countries in security and military matters, as well as in agriculture, energy, health, water, and education.
“It was agreed to move forward towards normalizing relations between the two countries,” Sudan’s foreign ministry said.
Sudanese civilian groups have been more reluctant and have previously said any deal must be ratified by a transitional parliament that is yet to be formed.
