Israel will open a representative office in Papua New Guinea, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced after a conversation with Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister James Marape on Wednesday.
Sa’ar said in a post on X/Twitter that he thanked Marape for his support and friendship with Israel, specifically noting that Marape had decided to move Papua New Guinea’s embassy to Jerusalem in 2023.
“We will advance bilateral relations!” he declared.
Israel has been pursuing stronger relations with other Pacific Island states recently.
Earlier this month, Sa’ar attended the opening of Israel’s new embassy in Fiji’s capital, Suva, 30 years after the previous one was closed.
“By opening Israel’s embassy in Fiji, we are continuing to expand Israel’s diplomatic activity around the world in general, and in the Pacific region in particular, and sending a message of strengthening the partnerships and relations with countries that are friendly toward Israel,” Sa’ar said before his visit to Suva.
Israel has full diplomatic relations with various other Pacific Island states, including Micronesia, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu, as well as non-UN member states, the Cook Islands and Niue.
Shir Perets contributed to this report.
