Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno on Thursday opened his majority-Muslim country’s first embassy in Israel, four years after the countries renewed ties following a decades-long rupture, an Israeli statement revealed.
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office called the embassy’s inauguration in Ramat Gan near Tel Aviv “a historic moment”. Netanyahu said in 2020 that he had discussed “the possibility of opening an embassy in Jerusalem” with a Chadian delegation.
“We are strengthening our friendship and our common interests in pursuing peace, security and prosperity,” Netanyahu said Thursday.
Israel recognised Chad when it declared independence from France in 1960 and by 1962 had opened an embassy in Ndjamena.
Ties between Israel and Chad were broken in 1972 amid pressure from Muslim African nations. The Arab-Israeli wars of 1967 and 1973 led a number of African states to sever relations with the Jewish state. But in recent years, Israel has highlighted areas of cooperation ranging from security to technology and agriculture to improve ties on the continent.
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The Mossad “has played a central role in formulating the agreement and strengthening relations between the two countries,” a statement from the Israeli prime minister’s office said.
One of the world’s poorest countries, Chad is not an Arab League member state but belongs to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). Netanyahu has made broadening Israelis ties across the Arab and Muslim world a foreign policy
Source: Africa News