Republic of Nauru Opens Ninth Embassy in Jerusalem

The Republic of Nauru, a small Pacific island nation with a population of approximately 12,000, officially opened its embassy in Jerusalem on Monday. The move is seen as politically significant, bolstering international recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Nauru's Vice President and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lionel Rouwen Engimeya, attended the opening ceremony. Engimeya stated that the decision to establish an embassy followed a meeting with Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi in Fiji, emphasizing Nauru's consistent support for Israel. He noted that Nauru votes in alignment with Israel at the UN 71% of the time, a figure he expects to increase. In response, Ashkenazi hailed Nauru as a "most devoted friend" of Israel and reiterated that Jerusalem is the eternal capital of the Jewish state. Nauru becomes the ninth country to establish an embassy in Jerusalem, joining the United States, Guatemala, Honduras, Kosovo, Paraguay, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, and Somaliland. Israel anticipates further growth in this trend, with Colombia and the Democratic Republic of Congo having previously expressed intentions to relocate their diplomatic missions to Jerusalem. Foreign Minister Ashkenazi has pledged that a tenth foreign representation will open in Jerusalem in October. For Israel, each new embassy in Jerusalem symbolizes a shift in international perception regarding the city's status. Nauru views the embassy as an opportunity to enhance bilateral cooperation in areas such as healthcare, innovation, agriculture, water technology, and climate change mitigation. The Republic of Nauru officially recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital in August 2019. Notably, the nation recently changed its official name to the Republic of Naoero.