Chad opens embassy in Israel 5 years after renewing ties

'This is a historic moment that builds on years of contacts during which I visited Chad'

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Chad President Mehmet Déby on Thursday inaugurated the African country's embassy in Israel. The move came five years after the two countries restored diplomatic ties. 

"This is a historic moment that builds on years of contacts during which I visited Chad," Netanyahu said at the ceremony in Ramat Gan, near Tel Aviv. "We are strengthening our friendship in the fields of security as we strive for peace and prosperity. We had excellent talks yesterday." 

"The new embassy will further strengthen our relations. I congratulate you and hope to see you soon in Chad," he told the Chadian leader. 

In January 2019, Netanyahu and Chad's former president Idriss Déby, the father of the current leader, announced the renewal of diplomatic relations between the countries at a ceremony in N'Djamena, the capital of Chad.

"Israel and Chad established relations, between our two countries, together with your late father. We see these relations as extremely important - with a great country in the heart of Africa. These are relations that we want to upgrade to new levels, to new heights - and your visit here in Israel and the opening of the embassy are an expression of this," Netanyahu told Déby. 

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