By Malek Arol
South Sudan government on Thursday signed a cooperation agreement with the State of Israel.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation led representation the government of South Sudan while Ambassador; H.E. Gershon Kedar represented the state of Israel, his home county.
According to the ministry’s Facebook page, that this outlet has seen, the cooperation pact aims to promote friendly relations between the two nations.
“The Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Deng Dau Deng, and the Director of International Law and Treaties, Amb. Akech Chol Ahou, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, have signed an agreement of cooperation with the State of Israel, represented by the Israeli,” the statement on the ministry page partly read.
The bilateral deal targets mainly areas of economic development, education, culture, agriculture, water, sports, health, green consumption, environment protection, and recycling of urban, industrial, and agricultural waste.
The monastery of Foreign Affairs further noted the importance that the government is in the process of ratifying the said agreement.
“Any further consultations, such as workshops, high-level government visits between the two countries, and the exchange of knowledge, shall be carried out through diplomatic channels”, the statement further clarified.
This agreement is not the first of its kind, the first official agreement between South Sudan and Israel was signed in July 2012, when Israel’s Military industries signed a pact to cooperate on water infrastructure and technology development.
The agreement outlined plans for cooperation between Israel and South Sudan on desalination, irrigation, water transport, and purification.
Relations between South Sudan and the State of Israel began shortly after the independence of South Sudan, as Israel recognized South Sudan on July 10, 2011, just a day after the country became an independent state.
On July 15, 2011, South Sudan announced that it intended to have full diplomatic relations with Israel, and on July 28, Israel accepted and announced that it had established full diplomatic relations with South Sudan.
At the moment, ties between Israel and South Sudan are primarily economic, though the political aspect is a central feature.