"India's relations with Sudan are historic and special, and forged on the basis of shared values and close people-to-people contacts. We welcome the removal of Sudan from the List of State Sponsors of Terrorism and Sudan's normalisation of relations with Israel," the Indian External Affairs Ministry said in a statement.

Sudan had been blacklisted by the US since 1993 when al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden lived in that country as a guest of the government. American President Donald Trump had promised to remove Sudan from the list if the latter paid compensation to the tune of USD 335 million to the families of victims of al-Qaeda's 1998 bombing of US embassies in Africa.

India has also welcomed the signing of the Juba peace agreement between Sudan's transitional government and several armed groups, a move aimed at bringing to an end years of civil war that claimed the lives of over a million in the African nation.

"We congratulate the Transitional Government and the people of Sudan on the signing of the Juba Peace Agreement, and hope that these positive developments will usher in democratic changes and contribute to enhancing Sudan's development, peace, security and stability," the Ministry said.

India's engagement with Sudan started taking shape primarily post 2003, when the state-run Oil and Natural Gas Corporation acquired a 25 percent share in the African nation's Greater Nile Petroleum Operating Company. Since then, there has been greater ties between the two countries. India is the second-largest exporter to Sudan, after China.