Some five years after Paraguay closed its embassy in Jerusalem, its new president, Santiago Peña announced Tuesday that the South American country will reopen it in the coming months. This would make it the fifth country to have relocated its embassy to the Israeli capital, after the US, Kosovo, Guatemala, and Honduras.
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Peña, who was sworn in on Tuesday, met with Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen just hours after his inauguration. Cohen said that he invited the leader "to make a presidential visit this year, during which he could rededicate the Paraguayan Embassy in Jerusalem." He added that Israel would also reciprocate by opening its embassy in Asunción, the country's capital. Peña said in response, "I am Israel's greatest friend."
Video: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks on Paraguay in 2018 / Reuters
According to Cohen the reopening of the embassy in Jerusalem "will bolster Israel's standing and the important ties between the two nations," adding that "we will continue strengthening the historical bond with Latin American countries, who have stood by Israel and the Jewish people."
Paraguay moved its embassy to the capital in 2018 but several months later closed it after it elected a left-wing president. Israel was outraged and shut down its embassy in the country in response.
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