Papua New Guinea will establish an embassy in Jerusalem, Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Sunday morning.
The decision came after a phone call between Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen and his Papua New Guinean counterpart, Justin Tkatchenko on Wednesday.
The two countries have had diplomatic relations since 1978 but never established embassies. The Southwest Pacific island nation’s interests in Israel are currently represented by a consulate in the Tel Aviv suburb of Ramat HaSharon.
The embassy is expected to be opened sometime in 2023.
Cohen and Tkatchenko discussed expanding economic trade between the two countries, especially in the fields of advanced agriculture. Tkatchenko also promised Papua New Guinea will continue to support Israel in international arenas.
Most of the countries that Israel has diplomatic relations with refuse to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital city and maintain embassies in the Tel Aviv area. Many of of those countries maintain consulates in Jerusalem.
The United States recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in 2018 and moved its embassy there. Since then, Guatemala, Honduras and Kosovo have followed suit.
