Yesterday, Wednesday, the President of the Republic of Chad, Mohamed Idriss Deby, praised the role of the Israeli intelligence service (Mossad) in building N'Djamena's relations with Tel Aviv, during his visit to the opening of his country's embassy in Tel Aviv.
Deby said during his meeting with Israeli President Isaac Herzog: I would like to commend the Mossad and the Chadian intelligence services for their decisive contribution, as the architects who built the relations between us.
He praised what he described as the Mossad's "wonderful" efforts in preparing for the visit, according to a statement issued by the Israeli president's office, and said he encouraged them to continue their work in order to enable the strengthening of relations and more visits between the two sides.
Herzog had received, at the presidential residence in the western part of occupied Jerusalem, the President of the Republic of Chad, who arrived in Israel on Wednesday, on an official visit, during which he will open today, Thursday, his country's embassy in Israel.
In turn, Herzog said, directing his speech to the Chadian president, according to the statement: The relations between our two countries are very important to us, and your visit is historic, and our relationship that has existed for many years is based first and foremost on trust. We are especially excited that you will open your embassy during your historic visit.
He added that the two sides discussed many issues regarding the broad cooperation of the "tremendous" potential of our bilateral relationship.
The President of Chad met earlier with the head of the Mossad, David Barnea.
"Since the decision to restore relations in 2019, the Mossad has played a central role in drafting the agreement and strengthening relations between the two countries," the Mossad said in a written statement, a copy of which was sent to Anadolu Agency.
In 1972, relations between the two sides were severed due to the Arab-Israeli conflict, and they were restored in 2019 when Benjamin Netanyahu, who was also prime minister at the time, visited Chad.
The statement indicated that, based on the instructions of the political leadership and in the context of efforts to advance normalization with the countries of the region, the Mossad, in full partnership with the diplomatic and security levels, was responsible for secret liaison with senior officials in the Republic of Chad and the progress of steps significantly, including mutual visits by Delegations to Israel and Chad.
"The Republic of Chad is another important Islamic country in Africa with which the State of Israel establishes diplomatic relations, and expanding the circle of diplomatic partnerships is an important goal in expanding the strategic depth of Israel," Barnea said.
He expressed his hope that "this important agreement will inspire additional leaders in the Middle East and Africa to strengthen their relations with Israel."
Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received the President of Chad, and stressed the importance of relations between the two countries.
During the meeting, Deby said, for his part, "This is a country with a great history, and this is the land of civilization for all monotheistic religions." He added, "Chad and Israel today are going through a decisive turning point in their relationship."