On Wednesday, Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid met with Uruguayan President Luis Lacalle Pou and Foreign Minister Francisco Bustillo.
During Lapid’s visit, President Pou announced his plans to inaugurate a diplomatic office in Jerusalem. This move aims to further the bonds of innovation-based collaboration between the two nations.
The announcement by Uruguay follows on the footsteps of Paraguay’s recent decision to shift its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. With these evolving dynamics, Uruguay is now gearing up to establish its own diplomatic representation in the historic city. As part of their discussions, Minister Lapid extended an invitation to the Uruguayan President for the official unveiling of the diplomatic office in Israel.
Furthermore, Lapid’s visit to Uruguay saw discussions around opportunities to enhance meat imports from Uruguay to Israel. A pivotal topic addressed was the urgent need to mitigate Iran’s endeavors to expand its footprint in Latin America, especially after Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi’s recent visits to nations like Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Cuba.
In a related context, Lapid also emphasized that Paraguay is on course to transition its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem within the ongoing year.
Offering a historical perspective, Asunción had previously unveiled its embassy in Jerusalem in 2017, becoming one of the early nations after the U.S. and Guatemala to do so. However, by the end of 2018, the decision was reversed under the purview of Paraguay’s then-Foreign Minister, Luis Alberto Castiglioni.
