Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today arrived in Chad on a days visit during which diplomatic ties with the African state are expected to be renewed.

Speaking to reporters before boarding the plane at the Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv, Netanyahu called the visit a “historic”  hinting at the formal resumption of diplomatic relations between the countries that Chad had cut in 1972.

Netanyahu has sought to improve ties with countries in the Arab and Muslim world and said he expected more such diplomatic breakthroughs soon.The one-day visit follows Chadian President Idriss Deby Itno’s November trip to Israel.