Sudanese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Haidar Badawi Sadiq said on Tuesday that the Sudan is in the midst of peace talks with Israel, as the North African country does not believe there is reason to the continued hostilities between the two states.
Jerusalem believes that Khartoum will not be in a hurry to sign an agreement with Israel despite the advancement in talks between the two countries, which have progressed over the last few months and can be seen primarily in Israeli flights being allowed into Sudanese airspace.
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Sudanese protesters march in a demonstration to mark the anniversary of a transitional power-sharing deal
(Photo: Reuters)
"Israel and Sudan will both benefit from a peace agreement," said Sadiq told Sky News in an interview in Arabic.
"We will form an agreement without sacrificing our values and principles."
He also called the newly announced agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates a "brave step which charted the right path for the rest of the Arab world."
A spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem, Lior Haiat, welcomed the remarks of his Sudanese counterpart, saying that "the State of Israel welcomes any step that will lead to a process of normalization and peace agreements with the countries of the region."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the comments Tuesday, saying he believes more nominally enemy states will establish ties with Israel, including the Palestinians.
"People are tired of extremism, people want to see a better future," said Netanyahu told Sky News. "I think that soon more countries will sign a peace agreement and eventually the Palestinians will as well."
In an official statement from the Prime Minister's Office said: "Israel, Sudan and the whole region will benefit from this peace deal.
It will bring a better future for all the nations in the region, and we will do every thing it takes to make this vision a reality."
Last February, Netanyahu met with the chairman of the Sudanese Sovereignty Council, Lt. Gen. Abdel Fattah Abdelrahman al-Burhan in the Ugandan city of Entebbe.
During the meeting, Netanyahu and al-Burhan agreed to begin collaboration that would lead to normalization between their two countries.
Last May, the first ever flight to land in Sudan took off from Israel. The African country denied that it was an Israeli plane, and claimed that it was in fact a Turkish plane that landed in its territory.