Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar announced today (Tuesday) that Israel will be opening an embassy in Zambia.
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar informed the Zambian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Mulambo Haimbe, of his decision to open an Israeli embassy in Zambia.
Sa'ar said that Zambia is a friend of Israel and that the opening of the embassy would improve relations between the countries. Sa'ar also invited his Zambian counterpart to visit Israel soon.
The Foreign Ministry said that the decision to open this embassy was not just about improving bilateral ties with Zambia but also strengthening relations in general with African countries - a strategic goal set by the Foreign Minister for 2025.
Sa'ar's policy has been driven by actions such as that of Ireland, whose increasingly fierce criticism of and hostile actions towards Israel - including joining the "genocide" case against Israel in the Hague - led Sa'ar to decide on the closure of the embassy there.
Instead, the Foreign Minister aims to develop and strengthen relations with already friendly countries as much as possible to counterbalance hostility in areas like Western Europe.
Thus, Sa'ar announced his intention to open an embassy in the Eastern European country of Moldova to compensate for closing the embassy in Ireland.
Sa'ar has also worked recently to secure a special session of the UN Security Council to condemn Houthi actions against Israel and against international shipping, taking advantage of the fact that the United States was presiding over the council at the time.
The Foreign Minister also said that he believes the second Trump administration is an "opportunity" for Israel, as the President sees "eye to eye" with Israel on Iran and carried out a number of pro-Israel steps during his first term, such as moving the embassy to Israel and recognizing Israeli control of the Golan Heights.
0 Comments