Mauritania, on Tuesday, refused participation in an environmental training program hosted by Israel, Anadolu News Agency reports.
Sunday, Israeli TV channel, i24News, said that Mauritania was among participants in a training program hosted by Israel to help African countries deal with deserts in the Sahara region.
“Among the notable participants in the program is the niece of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Chad with whom Israel has renewed diplomatic ties in recent years. Other representatives of the countries of the region came from Djibouti, Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, the Ethiopia, Eritrea, Nigeria and Senegal,” said the broadcaster, citing a statement from Israel’s Foreign Minister, Eli Cohen.
But the Mauritanian Ministry of the Environment categorically denied the report, saying it was an attempt to “mislead public opinion”.
In 1999, Mauritania established diplomatic relations with Tel Aviv, but its ties were suspended in 2009 following an Israeli military attack on the Gaza Strip.
In 2010, Mauritania expelled the Israeli ambassador from Nouakchott and officially severed ties with Israel.
READ: Mauritania celebrates Nouakchott as the cultural capital of the Islamic world
