Outgoing Paraguayan President Horacio Cartes announced over the weekend that he plans to relocate his country's embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, following in the footsteps of the U.S.
On Dec. 6, U.S. President Donald Trump officially recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital, upending decades of U.S. policy, and pledged to move the American embassy there. The move outraged many in the Arab world, including the Palestinians, who envision parts of Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state.
Cartes made the announcement during an event marking Israel's 70th Independence Day held in the capital of Asuncion over the weekend.
He explained that the move stemmed from both political obligations and his personal desire to promote the plan.
Israel's Foreign Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon welcomed the announcement, tweeting, "Good news from Paraguay."
Paraguayan media said that while Cartes did not mention a specific date for the move, he said he would like to see it completed before his term concludes in mid-August.
The relocation of the embassy is a preparatory step before officially recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital, the reports said.
President-elect Mario Abdo Benítez also spoke at the Asuncion event, saying that Paraguay and Israel "are united by a great friendship and the desire to maintain ties between both governments."
So far, Guatemala is the only country other than the United States to make concrete plans to relocate its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, announcing on April 11 that it will open its embassy there in mid-May.
A few other countries have said they were considering moving their missions to Jerusalem, including the Czech Republic, Romania and Honduras, but those moves are pending the approval of their respective parliaments.
