An Israeli cabinet minister on Monday for the first time led an official delegation to Sudan to discuss moving forward on a US-brokered deal in October to normalize relations.
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"I am confident this visit lays the foundations for many important collaborations that will assist both Israel and Sudan as well as security stability in the region," Intelligence Services Minister Eli Cohen said in a statement after returning home.
Sudan joined the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco last year in agreeing to move toward normal relations with Israel. The new US administration of President Joe Biden has said it wants to build on those deals.
Cohen, the first minister to head such a trip, said he met Sudanese President Abdel Fattah al-Burha, Defense Minister Yassin Ibrahim, and other Sudanese defense and intelligence officials.
The Israeli delegation discussed with their hosts a variety of diplomatic and security issues as well as the potential for economic cooperation, his office said.
The parties discussed regional security stability, which is essential for economic development, and have agreed to expand intelligence cooperation. The possibility of adding Israel to the Red Sea Council, of which Sudan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia are members, was also broached.
The Israeli delegation also raised a number of potential joint economic projects at the meetings, underscoring the fields of water, agriculture, renewable energy, health, and aviation.
Such cooperation is likely to focus on the possibility of establishing infrastructure projects, including desalination and renewable energy facilities, and training in the fields of agriculture.
It was agreed that a Sudanese delegation will travel to Israel, according to the Israeli statement.
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