Uruguay to Open Diplomatic Office in Jerusalem

“We are continuing to strengthen the international position of Jerusalem, the capital of Israel,” Foreign Minister Eli Cohen says following the Uruguayan decision.

By United with Israel Staff

Uruguay will soon open a diplomatic office to promote innovation cooperation in Jerusalem, the Israeli foreign ministry said Wednesday.

Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen on Wednesday met with President of Uruguay Luis Lacalle Pou and Uruguayan Foreign Minister Francisco Bustillo in the Uruguayan capital of Montevideo, during which Cohen invited Pou to Jerusalem to inaugurate the office.

While in Uruguay, the Israeli minister also discussed the importance of fighting Iran’s attempts to expand its influence in Latin America and preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

The ministers also discussed increasing import quotas of meat from Uruguay to Israel as a way to reduce living costs in Israel.

“We are continuing to strengthen the international position of Jerusalem, the capital of Israel,” Cohen said of the Uruguayan decision.

“When I entered this position at the beginning of the year, I set a goal of doubling the number of diplomatic missions in Jerusalem, and this week we made two important steps toward reaching that goal.”

“Uruguay is one of Israel’s most important allies in Latin America, and President Lacalle Pou’s decision to open an innovation office in Jerusalem will advance relations between our two countries and the economic and trade ties between us,” Cohen said.

The Uruguayan decision comes after Cohen on Tuesday met with Paraguayan President Santiago Pena hours after the latter took office, during which the two agreed Paraguay would move its embassy back to Jerusalem, while Israel would reopen its embassy in the Paraguayan capital of Asuncion.

In relocating its embassy, Paraguay would join four other countries that currently have their embassies in Israel’s capital: the US, Guatemala, Honduras, and Kosovo.