Sudanese Justice Minister Nasredeen Abdulbari signed on to the Abraham Accords today in Khartoum, officially agreeing to normalize diplomatic ties with Israel. The signature took place in the presence of US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who is currently visiting the country.

Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi tweeted after the news, “Sudan’s signing of the Abraham Accords is an important step in advancing regional normalization agreements in the Middle East. I want to thank the US administration for its constant efforts to promote peace and stability throughout the Middle East. I hope that this agreement will soon bring progress in the dialogue and normalization between Israel and Sudan and promote the development of relations between our two countries.’’

The signing in Khartoum ended weeks of speculations in Israel over the commitment of Sudan to the move, first announced Oct. 23 by President Donald Trump. After the festive announcement in October, it became clear to Jerusalem that Khartoum was conditioning normalization on the United States erasing it off the blacklist of countries supporting terror. This was not an easy task for the administration in Washington, but on Dec. 14, Khartoum got what it wanted. Still, even then, Khartoum took its time. Parts of the Sudanese leadership were apparently uncomfortable with the idea.

That being said, Israel’s Foreign Ministry sees ties with Sudan as extremely important strategically. The African-Muslim country is located in the Horn of Africa, on the shores of the Red Sea. More so, in past years, Sudan enabled Iran and its proxies to transfer arms though its land. And while Iranian-Sudanese ties have known more downs than ups in recent years, Israel considers Sudan a strategic, key country in the region.