Sudan to 'move forward' towards normalization following Cohen's visit
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The Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen conducts talks with Sudanese officials to 'move forward' with normalizing ties as the opposition makes a statement.
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Israeli foreign minister, Eli Cohen meeting with Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the Sudanese army chief February 2, 2023
Israeli foreign minister, Eli Cohen, said on Thursday that Sudan had agreed to "move forward" towards normalizing ties with "Israel" as the two conclude talks.
The Sudanese MFA stated following a meeting between Cohen and his Sudanese counterpart, Ali al-Sadiq, that "it has been agreed to move forward towards the normalization of relations between the two countries."
The Israeli FM also met with Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the Sudanese army chief, where the two discussed "ways to establish fruitful relations" and "prospects of cooperation" in various areas such as security and energy, according to a statement by the sovereign council of Sudan.
Furthermore, it was noted in the statement that the Israeli-Sudanese talks touched briefly on "achieving stability and peace between Israel and the Palestinians."
On the contrary, the official spokesperson for the Sudanese Professionals Association, Al-Waleed Ali, refuted to normalize relations between the Transitional Council in Sudan and "Israel".
In an interview with Al Mayadeen, Ali confirmed that Al-Burhan is "the head of an authoritarian council who resorted to external parties in order to support his tyranny."
He then added, "The Burhan regime is unacceptable among the Sudanese," pointing out that "his regime is reeling".
The military leaders in charge in Sudan, currently undergoing various economic, security, and political crises, are counting on normalization with the Israeli occupation as a means of solving the issues ravaging the country. However, it is clear that the various calamities affecting the country are too deep and complex to be solved by a normalization agreement. Additionally, the enmity that the Sudanese people have for the Israeli occupation would render the political normalization agreement useless on the ground.
The normalization agreements originally took place in 2020, and normalized Israeli diplomacy with Morocco, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain, with the deal being signed with Sudan.
Israeli media reported on Wednesday that Sudan is on its way toward officially signing the normalization agreements with the Israeli occupation, more commonly known as the "Abraham Accords", claiming that this was another feat for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
In response to a question about whether Sudan was on the way to joining the normalization agreements now and officially, Israeli KAN public broadcaster political commentator Gili Cohen said "yes", "it is expected that the matter will be official, and Sudan is on the way to officially join the normalization agreements."
"This issue was raised in talks between US State Secretary Antony Blinken here in Israel, and in previous meetings that American officials held with the political leadership in Israel, from Netanyahu to President Herzog, Foreign Minister Cohen, and other officials," Cohen explained.
"Israel and the United States are also interested in expanding the normalization agreements, but in this case, Sudan announced that it intended to join the agreement, though there was no official signature. That was obstructed by the lengthy negotiations with the United States and the lack of stability in Sudan," she stressed.
Israeli media underlined that it seemed that Sudan was "now on its way toward officially signing the Abraham Accords, and this is a message that Israel and the United States want to make use of."
