i24NEWS ArabicPolitics14:44

Colombia Opens Embassy in Jerusalem, Restoring Ties with Israel

By i24NEWS

Translated & summarized from i24NEWS Arabic by baba

CenterNeutral tone

Arabic · 16 newsrooms covering

Colombia inaugurated its embassy in Jerusalem on Wednesday, marking a significant step in restoring diplomatic ties with Israel after a period of strain. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar and his Colombian counterpart Omar Bolivar Escobar attended the ceremony. The move fulfills a promise by Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella and reverses policies of the former president. The two nations also reactivated a free trade agreement, signaling a rapid improvement in bilateral relations.

The story in 5 lines · by baba

Colombia opened its embassy in Jerusalem on Wednesday, becoming the tenth nation with an embassy in the city.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar and his Colombian counterpart Omar Bolivar Escobar attended the inauguration ceremony.
The move fulfills a pledge by Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella to relocate the embassy.
Colombia and Israel also reactivated their free trade agreement, reversing a prior decision.
The rapprochement aims to reverse negative impacts on bilateral relations from the previous administration.

Colombia Opens Embassy in Jerusalem, Restoring Ties with Israel — Editorial illustration generated by baba News, not a photograph of the event.

Colombia officially opened its embassy in Jerusalem on Wednesday, becoming the tenth country to establish an embassy in the city. This move signifies a renewed effort to restore diplomatic relations between Bogota and Israel, which had been strained during the previous administration. The inauguration ceremony was attended by Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar and his Colombian counterpart, Omar Bolivar Escobar, who arrived in Israel on Tuesday.

During the ceremony, Saar highlighted the significance of the embassy's opening, stating it was a "day of celebration for the relations between Israel and Colombia, but also a day of celebration for Jerusalem, the capital." He noted that the number of embassies in Jerusalem has now reached ten, a substantial increase from five when he took office less than two years ago. Saar also recalled Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella's pre-election pledge to move the embassy to Jerusalem immediately upon taking office, a promise that has now been fulfilled.

Colombian Foreign Minister Escobar described the embassy opening as a practical step toward restoring bilateral relations, asserting that diplomatic ties "should never have been severed." He emphasized that Israel is a strategic partner for Colombia and that this partnership will grow in importance. The embassy's relocation follows the re-activation of a free trade agreement between the two nations, reversing a decision made by the former president.

Minister Saar indicated that the rapprochement between the two countries has progressed rapidly, with most of the negative impacts from the previous administration's policies on bilateral relations being reversed within two months. He expressed gratitude to President de la Espriella for his commitment to elevating Israel-Colombia relations to an unprecedented level. Following the ceremony, Saar was scheduled to host Escobar at the Israeli Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem for further diplomatic discussions on bilateral relations and cooperation prospects.