JERUSALEM (JTA) — Paraguay is moving its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem from its current position near Tel Aviv.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry made the announcement in a statement issued on Monday. Reuters also verified the move with a Paraguay government spokesman.
Paraguay will be the third country to move its embassy to Jerusalem. The United States will dedicate its temporary Jerusalem embassy on May 14, followed two days later by Guatemala.
Paraguay’s president, Horacio Cartes, will come to Israel later this month, on May 21 or May 22 to open the country’s new Jerusalem embassy, Reuters reported citing a Paraguay government spokesman.
The Paraguayan embassy is currently located in the coastal city of Herzliya.
Cartes, who will leave office in mid-August when a new government takes over, announced late last month during an event in the capital Asuncion marking Israel’s 70th Independence Day that he planned to move the embassy before the end of his term. It is not known if Cartes consulted with President-elect Mario Abdo Benítez before announcing the move.
