Mauritania’s ambassador to the United States, Sissah bint Sheikh Ould Bide, has categorically denied reports suggesting that President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani is scheduled to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his current visit to Washington.
Speaking to Mauritanian media outlets, Ambassador Bide labeled the rumors as “false news,” refuting claims circulated by the American platform Semafor earlier this week.
The platform had reported that a potential meeting between the Mauritanian president and Netanyahu was being arranged on the sidelines of a U.S.-West Africa mini-summit.
The ambassador’s statement comes amid growing speculation over whether Nouakchott is considering a diplomatic rapprochement with Tel Aviv, following more than a decade of severed ties. Mauritania cut off diplomatic relations with Israel in 2010 in response to the Gaza conflict.
While the reports about a meeting with Netanyahu were dismissed, U.S. media sources also noted that President Ghazouani was expected to hold talks with former U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Wednesday.
That meeting, if confirmed, would take place as part of a broader summit bringing together U.S. officials and leaders from five West African nations.
As of now, neither the White House nor the Mauritanian Embassy in Washington has issued an official statement confirming any high-level meetings. The developments are being closely watched in diplomatic circles, particularly in light of ongoing U.S. efforts to encourage normalization between Israel and several African nations.
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