Suriname plans to open an embassy in Jerusalem though a date is not yet set, Suniname's foreign minister Albert Ramdin told Foreign Minister Yair Lapid at a meeting on Monday.
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Just four countries – the United States, Honduras, Guatemala and Kosovo – currently have embassies in Jerusalem, the capital, instead of Tel Aviv.
"During the meeting between the two foreign ministers, the Surinamese Foreign Minister announced that his country plans to soon open an embassy in Jerusalem, the capital of Israel," a Foreign Ministry statement announced.
The two ministers also signed an agreement to hold bilateral diplomatic consultations, and Lapid offered to send Suriname humanitarian aid to help the country recover from the severe flooding that hit northern Suriname in April.
Ramdin told Reuters he was not sure when the facility would open.
"We don't know yet. We have expressed the intention. The consultation on how and what is going to start now," he said.
Suriname, located in the northern part of South America, has territory some eight times larger than that of Israel and is home to approximately 650,000 residents. Israel Hayom spoke to Ramdin following the announcement that Suriname plans to open an embassy in Jerusalem, a development that came as something of a surprise to many officials in Israel's Foreign Ministry.
Ramdin said that "Suriname and Israel have long-standing diplomatic relations, and we also have a shared historical legacy, because there has been a Jewish community in our country for hundreds of years."
The community numbers some 500 members, most of whom live in the capital city, Paramaribo. One of the community's oldest synagogues was removed almost entire intact and shipped to Israel, where it is on display at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem.
"The Jews of Suriname originally came from Brazil, and even now there is a small community with very strong ties to Israel and Jerusalem. Suriname currently has a non-resident ambassador, but we intend to change that when the Jerusalem embassy opens," he said.
Ramdin said that Suriname sees its relations with Israel in not only a political light, but also in a cultural context. "There are also economic opportunities for cooperation in the private sector in many fields such as agriculture, water technology, energy, and tourism. For us, opening the embassy in Jerusalem is the starting point for building stronger ties with Israel, and, I hope, cooperation that will benefit both sides."
Recently, large reserves of oil and natural gas were discovered off the coast of Suriname.
Q: Does the fact that Suriname is home to a large Muslim community factor into your decision to open an embassy in Jerusalem?
"No. We have a very tolerant community when it comes to religion and ethnic diversity. Many cultures are represented in Suriname and we are a hospitable, peace-seeking people. We believe that people of different backgrounds should live together in peace, and we're an example of that."
Jonathan Peled, Foreign Ministry Deputy Director General for Latin America, told Israel Hayom that "the Surinamese announcement that they plan to open an embassy in Jerusalem came as a pleasant surprise. We knew they had general plans to open an embassy in Israel, but we didn't think it would happen so soon or that it would be in Jerusalem."
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