Sa'ar, Herzog meet officials from DRC in tie strengthening visit to Israel

President Isaac Herzog and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar welcomed Foreign Minister Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner and President Felix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Israel welcomed on Tuesday officials from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in a step towards strengthening the relationship between the two countries, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced in a post on X/Twitter. 

“I was pleased to host once again in Jerusalem Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, the Foreign Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, who is accompanying the visit of her country's President Felix Tshisekedi to Israel,” he wrote on the social media post. 

Sa’ar said comprehensive discussions on the relations between both countries were held, including Israel’s security challenges.

The implementation of an ongoing peace agreement between Congo and Rwanda was also discussed, Sa’ar added.

“The DRC is a friendly country to Israel, and I hope that soon we will be able to announce a significant leap forward in relations between the countries,” he concluded.

President Isaac Herzog also published images of the visit on X/Twitter, welcoming Tshisekedi and calling him “my dear friend.” 

Israel, Congo have had rocky ties

Israel and the DRC established diplomatic relations following Congo’s independence in 1960 until they were severed following the Yom Kippur War in 1973, when the Arab League pressured African nations to sever relations with Israel. 

Then-president Mobutu Sese Seko described the decision to cut ties as a choice between a “friend” and a “brother.”

In the early 1980s, Congo became one of the first African countries to restore ties with Israel.

Tshisekedi has since strengthened cooperation with Israel in areas such as agriculture, technology, and security.

According to a 2025 report from Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency, Tshisekedi said that discussions with Israel were going “very, very well” and that the DRC has “many opportunities” to offer Israel prior to Herzog’s visit to the country last year.

“The evidence is clear, the friendship is deep between the two countries, through projects beneficial for our two countries, and this will be an opportunity to seize,” Anadolu cited Herzog as saying.