Eli Cohen became the first Israeli foreign minister to step foot in Turkmenistan in nearly three decades after arriving in the Central Asian country's capital Ashgabat on Wednesday night to open an embassy there.
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It will be the closest Israeli embassy to arch-enemy Iran as Ashgabat is located 15 miles from the Turkmenistan-Iran border, which spans 713 miles from the Caspian Sea to Afghanistan. Cohen's visit and the embassy's inauguration are intended to send a message to Iran that Israel is a present and growing influence in the region.
Turkmenistan, a Muslim-majority country, established relations with Israel in the run-up to its declaration of independence in 1991. About a decade ago, in light of good relations between the two states, Israel opened a temporary embassy there with a temporary structure, now permanent.
"Relations with Turkmenistan are important and strategic, as part of the political and security activities to strengthen relations with Central Asia," Cohen said in a statement. "We will continue to promote economic cooperation between the countries, among other things in the fields of health and cyber defense."
"Inauguration of the Israeli embassy in Ashgabat is another sign of the strengthening of the relationship between Israel and Turkmenistan, and marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of relations," he said.
Shimon Peres was the last Israeli foreign minister to visit the former Soviet state, making a trip there in 1994 along with a stop in Uzbekistan.
Cohen is scheduled to meet on Thursday with Turkmenistan President Serdar Berdimuhamedow and Vice President and Foreign Minister Raşit Meredow, as well as Agriculture Minister Esenmyrat Orazgeldiýew and members of the local Jewish community.
The envoy departed for Turkmenistan from the South Caucasus country of Azerbaijan, where he had brought a delegation of business leaders from Israel on Tuesday.
JNS.org contributed to this report.
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