U.S. Vice President Mike Pence has urged Paraguay's new president to stick to his predecessor's decision to move the Paraguayan Embassy to Jerusalem, Pence's office said on Thursday.
His comments followed Paraguay's announcement the previous day that it would shift the Paraguayan mission back to Tel Aviv, dealing a blow to Israeli's quest for recognition of Jerusalem as its capital. Paraguay had followed the United States and Guatemala in relocating its embassy to Jerusalem.
Most countries do not recognize Israeli sovereignty over the entire city, saying its final status can be determined only as part of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
Pence, who played a key role in President Donald Trump's decision to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, spoke on Wednesday with Paraguayan President Mario Abdo Benitez, who was elected on Aug. 15.
Pence "strongly encouraged" Abdo Benitez to follow through with Paraguay's commitment to move the embassy to Jerusalem "as a sign of the historic relationship the country has maintained with both Israel and the United States," Pence's office said in a statement.
On Wednesday, just hours after Abdo Benitez announced the reversal, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordering the closure of the Israeli Embassy in Paraguay.
Paraguayan Foreign Minister Luis Alberto Castiglioni called the decision "hasty and disproportionate" and said he hopes the Israeli government reconsiders the move.
Abdo Benitez also urged Israel to reconsider, saying, "I regret Israel's decision. The reaction of closing the embassy was a little exaggerated and we urge authorities to reconsider it."
About a dozen Paraguayans gathered outside Abdo Benitez's residence in Asuncion on Thursday to protest the decision to move the embassy out of Jerusalem.
Pence's office did not say how Abdo Benitez responded to the vice president's request, saying only that Abdo Benitez "underscored Paraguay's lasting partnership with Israel and the leaders agreed to work towards achieving a comprehensive and lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict."
Also on Thursday, Turkey announced plans to open an embassy in Asuncion. It already maintains a consulate there and another in Ciudad del Este, but the Turkish ambassador to Paraguay has been operating out of Buenos Aires in neighboring Argentina.
By opening the embassy, Turkey is expressing support for Paraguay's new stance on Israel, Castiglioni said.
