Mauritania denies meeting between its President and Netanyahu

The Mauritanian government has officially denied reports of a meeting in Washington between President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to media outlets based in Nouakchott.

«These claims [circulating in the American press, editor’s note] are completely baseless», said Houssein Ould Meddou, Minister of Culture, Arts, Communication, and Relations with Parliament, and the government spokesperson. However, the Mauritanian authorities have not addressed ongoing speculation about the country potentially joining the Abraham Accords, launched in 2020 under former U.S. President Donald Trump.

«Normalization between Nouakchott and Tel Aviv is underway. The two countries are simply waiting for the right moment to announce it», a Mauritanian source told Yabiladi.

President Ould El Ghazouani took part on Wednesday in a summit at the White House, which brought together the United States and several West African nations, including Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania, and Senegal.

On the sidelines of the event, the Mauritanian leader also met with Christopher Landau, the U.S. Deputy Secretary of State.