The head of the Sovereignty Council of Sudan, Lt. Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan (R). Photo: Reuters / Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah / File.

Sudan’s Foreign Ministry said the African country intended to sign a peace accord with Israel, following the normalization deal reached by the Jewish state and the United Arab Emirates last week.

“The Emirates’ move is a brave and bold step and contributes to putting the Arab world on the right track to build peace in the region and to build sustainable peace,” Sudanese Foreign Ministry spokesman Haydar Sadig told Reuters on Tuesday.

“I cannot deny that there are contacts between Sudan and Israel,” he continued.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later praised the announcement, saying, “Israel, Sudan and the entire region will benefit from the peace agreement and will be able — together — to build a better future for all peoples of the region. We will do whatever is necessary to turn vision into reality.”

Israel has cultivated relations with Sudan in recent years, and Netanyahu met with Sudanese leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan during a trip to Uganda in February.