MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th April, 2023) Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen inaugurated on Thursday the Jewish state's first permanent mission in Turkmenistan's capital of Ashgabat, only a dozen miles away from the Iranian border.
Israel has been seeking to bolster ties with Central Asia to counter Iran's growing influence. Israel and Turkmenistan have a long history of relations but until recently no permanent diplomatic presence on each other's soil. Israel has a temporary embassy in the Muslim-majority country.
"It is a great privilege to install a mezuzah and inaugurate our new embassy in Turkmenistan," Cohen wrote on social media.
The Turkmen Foreign Ministry said the Israeli embassy was officially opened in the presence of both foreign ministers and the local Jewish community. Eli Cohen published photos on social media that showed him inserting a traditional mezuzah scroll in the doorpost.
The foreign ministers discussed cooperation on energy, agriculture, technology and outlooks for enhancing trade and economic ties between the two nations.
Cohen said the president of Turkmenistan promised to consider opening an embassy in Israel. The Israeli diplomat stressed that stronger ties with Turkmenistan, an energy powerhouse that shares a border with Iran, would contribute to security and stability.
