Skip to main content

New Paraguay president to reopen Jerusalem embassy within year


Eli Cohen, the Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs, declared on Wednesday that Paraguay's new president, Santiago Pena, will reopen the country's embassy in Jerusalem, the capital of Israel. 

Israel will also reopen its embassy in Asunción, the capital city of Paraguay, apparently putting an end to a rupture between the two countries that began five years ago.

If the new Paraguay leader follows through, Paraguay will be the fifth country to open an embassy in the Israeli capital, joining Kosovo, Honduras, Guatemala, and the United States. Israel sees these actions as reinforcing its claim to the Jerusalem city as its capital, despite the fact that most foreign embassies are located in or near Tel Aviv, a city on Israel’s Mediterranean coast.

The Israeli foreign minister announced this news after a brief meeting with Pena following his inauguration ceremony on Tuesday. Cohen said that he invited Pena to visit Israel within a year to dedicate the new mission and open the embassy.

In 2018, Horacio Cartes, the former president of Paraguay, declared that his nation would establish an embassy in Jerusalem, after similar actions were taken by the United States and Guatemala.

Abdo Benitez, Cartes' successor who served as the president of Paraguay from 2018 to 2023, relocated the embassy to Tel Aviv after only five months, claiming that he was not involved in the original decision. Reportedly, he wanted to maintain a more impartial stance toward the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. After this move, the ties between Israel and Paraguay were affected. 

Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, slammed Paraguay over the decision. He closed Israel’s embassy in Asunción in retaliation.

During the presidential campaign, Santiago Pena, who was elected as the President of Paraguay following the 2023 general election, pledged to reopen Paraguay’s embassy in Jerusalem. He took the presidential oath on Tuesday.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sky Care: How the UAE’s First Hospital Vertiport is Redefining Emergency Response

  Imagine a critical patient, a time-sensitive organ for transplant, or a specialist medical team needed across a bustling city. On the ground, traffic is a formidable adversary, where every minute lost can alter outcomes. Now, imagine that same journey taking minutes instead of an hour, not by navigating the roads, but by soaring gracefully above them. This is not a scene from a sci-fi film; it is the new reality in the United Arab Emirates. In a landmark move that solidifies its position on the global stage of innovation, the UAE has officially launched the nation’s — and the region’s — first hospital-based vertiport at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. This isn’t just a helipad with a new name. It is the cornerstone of a fully integrated, city-wide advanced air mobility (AAM) ecosystem, marking a profound convergence of cutting-edge aviation, AI-driven healthcare, and sustainable infrastructure. The Launch of a Lifesaving Corridor The project is a powerful collaboration between aviati...
Post a Comment
Read more

Three Houses, One Vision – How the UAE’s Abrahamic Family House is Redefining Inter-Faith Dialogue

  When you step onto the stone-plinth of the Abrahamic Family House on Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi, you are not just visiting a building. You are entering a bold statement: a mosque, a church and a synagogue standing side-by-side, equal in size and purpose, sharing common ground while respecting their separate faiths. A landmark of coexistence In early 2023 the UAE inaugurated this pioneering complex, inviting worshippers and visitors alike. The architecture — designed to give each of the three faith-homes the same external dimensions and to signal equality — allows each to express its own traditions while remaining visibly part of a unified vision. More than 200 nationalities live in the UAE, which means the project reflects a multicultural reality in which multiple faiths and identities coexist daily. Islam’s role in the vision For Muslim-majority audiences in the Gulf, the Abrahamic Family House sends a resonant message: Islam does not fear dialogue — it embraces it. The m...
Post a Comment
Read more

Beyond the Handshake: How the EU-UAE Partnership is Forging a New Model for 21st-Century Trade

  We are witnessing a pivotal moment in international relations, not in the halls of Washington or Beijing, but in the vibrant heart of Dubai. The ongoing negotiations between the European Union and the United Arab Emirates for a comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and a parallel Strategic Partnership Agreement represent far more than a simple trade deal. This is a conscious, data-backed effort to build a deep and strategic partnership designed to thrive amid global economic uncertainty. The Foundation: A Trade Relationship Already in High Gear Before the first negotiation even began, the economic ties were already formidable. In 2024, trade in goods between the EU and UAE reached a staggering €55.6 billion, solidifying the UAE’s position as the EU’s second-largest trading partner in the Gulf region. The services sector adds another robust layer, with trade exceeding €39 billion in 2023. The growth trajectory is equally impressive; EU exports to the UAE saw a 15% surge in a si...
Post a Comment
Read more