Papua New Guinea opened its embassy to Israel in Jerusalem, becoming the fifth country with a full diplomatic mission in the Israeli capital.
The Pacific nation’s mission joins embassies from the United States, Kosovo, Guatemala and Honduras in Jerusalem.
Prime Minister Benajamin Netanyahu attended the inauguration ceremony with Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape, who pledged support at the United Nations for Israel.
“For us to call ourselves Christian, paying respect to God will not be complete without recognizing that Jerusalem is the universal capital of the people and the nation of Israel,” Marape said.
Netanyahu said the new embassy would make it easier to develop agriculture, health, water and technology projects. “This will not only enable us to cherish the past but also seize the future,” he said at the ceremony.
