JERUSALEM, Jan. 20 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Chadian President Idriss Deby announced Sunday the resumption of diplomatic ties between the two countries, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office said in a statement.
"Both sides see the renewal of the relations a key to future cooperation, for the benefit of both sides," the statement said.
The announcement took place after Netanyahu arrived earlier on Sunday in Chad for a first-ever visit by an Israeli prime minister to the Muslim-majority country.
Upon his departure, Netanyahu said the resumption of ties with Chad will be followed with new ties with other Muslim countries, but did not elaborate on which countries.
"This is part of the revolution we are doing in the Arab and Muslim world," he said.
The visit follows a similar trip by Deby, who arrived in Jerusalem for a two-day official visit last November. The two leaders held meetings in which they discussed the fight against terrorism and bilateral cooperation in the fields of agriculture, solar energy, and water.
Chad and Israel severed their diplomatic relations in 1972.
Most Muslim or Arab countries do not have formal ties with Israel.
Netanyahu praised the warming ties with Chad as an example of how Israel can form relations in Africa and the Middle East, regardless of the continuing conflict with the Palestinians.
