Israel prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will "soon" fly to Chad to officially announce ties with the country, his office said in a statement on Tuesday, without providing further details, The Jerusalem Post reports.
Netanyahu met with Chad's president, Idriss Déby, in his office on the third day of a surprise visit by the dignitary.
“Chad is a very important country in Africa, and a very important country for Israel,” Netanyahu said on Sunday, standing alongside the African leader. “I am happy we are resuming our friendship,” he added, saying that although diplomatic ties were cut off in 1972, cooperation – which he said will now be extended – always continued “under the radar.”
The Prime Minister's Office said the ties would be focused on agriculture, water, solar energy and technology, among other fields.
Netanyahu said that he and Déby discussed the changes taking place in the Arab world regarding their attitudes toward Israel.
“This was manifest in my recent visit in Oman,” he said of his trip there last month. “And there will be more such visits in Arab countries very soon.”