MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Israel reopens Embassy in Asunción

From left to right: Magen, Peña, and Ohana cut the traditional ribbon during Wednesday's ceremony

Israel reopened its Embassy in Asunción after six years Wednesday in a ceremony attendedd by President Santiago Peña, Foreign Minister Ruben Ramírez Lezcano, Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, and Israel's Ambassador to Uruguay and Paraguay Yoed Magen, among other high-ranking dignitaries. The mission had been closed in 2018 after then-President Mario Abdo Benítez moved the Paraguayan Embassy from Jerusalem back to Tel Aviv.

“Today we take a firm step towards a future full of opportunities with the opening of the Israeli embassy in Paraguay,” said Peña during the ceremony. “Our relationship with the State of Israel is built on solid pillars and we are united by the conviction that we can achieve great things when we work together. Let us move forward, with our eyes set on all that we can still build,” he added while recalling that the South American country's diplomatic headquarters in Israel would again be relocated to Jerusalem in December.

Meanwhile, Ohana highlighted the 76 years of bilateral ties between the two countries and pointed out that Wednesday's reopening renewed the cooperation between the two nations. He also mentioned that the presence again of an Israeli representation in Paraguay entailed “many efforts” on the part of the authorities of both countries, which would bear fruit in time.

The diplomatic delegation will once again operate in the World Trade Center (WTC) building in the Paraguayan capital.

During Wednesday's ceremony, tribute was paid tribute to the Paraguayan couple of David and Orly Schvartzman, who were killed by Hamas on October 8 last year during the raid that sparked the ongoing armed conflict. In addition, a mezuzah (symbol of Jewish identity and faith) was also placed at the Embassy's entrance door. The mezuzah was brought from the house of Sivan and Naor, a young couple who also died last October in Kfar Aza when their home was burned down by the terrorist organization.