History: Peace with Sudan is advancing, an open visit by the Minister of Intelligence to Khartoum

Promotion in the relationship: Israeli Minister of Intelligence Eli Cohen today (Monday) paid a diplomatic visit to Sudan and became the first Israeli minister to make an open visit to the country with which Israel recently forged relations. Cohen headed a joint delegation of the Ministry of Intelligence and the National Security Staff, which was sent on a mission by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Minister Cohen made the diplomatic visit to the state capital Khartoum, where he met with officials from the fields of defense and intelligence. During the visit, the minister met with Sudanese President Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, Defense Minister Yassin Ibrahim and other senior members of the Sudanese government.

The delegation that returned to Israel tonight before the closure of Ben Gurion Airport included heads of divisions in the Ministry of Intelligence and the National Security Council, as well as officials from other government ministries scheduled for working meetings with their Sudanese counterparts. To the Minister of Intelligence.

The parties discussed the regional security stability that is essential for economic development and the parties will deepen intelligence cooperation. The possibility of Israel joining the Red Sea Council, which also has members in addition to Egypt and Saudi Arabia, has also arisen.

In the economic field, the members of the Israeli delegation raised a number of potential joint economic projects at the meetings, with an emphasis on the fields of water, agriculture, renewable energy, health and aviation. The cooperation focused on the possibility of establishing infrastructure projects, including desalination facilities and renewable energy, training mainly in the fields of agriculture and promoting business delegations of Israeli companies to develop the areas discussed.

The Sudanese authorities have also reviewed progress on repealing the boycott law against Israel and amending the law imposing imprisonment on Sudanese immigrants, including those in Israel, who return to Sudan.

Intelligence Minister Eli Cohen commented on the visit, saying: “I am confident that this visit laid the foundations for many important collaborations, which will help both Israel and Sudan, and security stability in the region, deepen our ties with Africa and lead to further agreements with countries. “We increase the security importance of the agreement and its economic potential.” Relations with Sudan are due to the prime minister’s investment in African countries in recent years and the American involvement that I believe will continue under the Biden administration.

As you may recall, less than two weeks ago and for the first time since the Abraham Accords were signed, a zoom conference was held between the energy ministers of Israel, Morocco, Sudan, Egypt, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and the United States. The historic conference was held following a successful meeting in Abu Dhabi last month between Israel’s energy ministers, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and the United States.

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