The trend in the capital continues: The 11th country to move its embassy to Jerusalem
A day after the Prime Minister's meeting with the President of Congo, Foreign Minister Sa'ar and his counterpart from the African nation agreed on practical steps to move the embassy to the capital - and to open an Israeli embassy in Kinshasa. The move joins Nauru and Colombia, which are expected to open missions soon.
The 11th country to place an embassy in Jerusalem: Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar and his counterpart from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Foreign Minister Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, held a special meeting today, Thursday, during which they implemented the plan to move the Congo embassy to Israel's capital. Concurrently, an Israeli embassy will be opened in the republic's capital.
Following the meeting between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Félix Tshisekedi, in Jerusalem two days ago, Tuesday, Foreign Minister Sa'ar and his counterpart, DRC Foreign Minister Kayikwamba Wagner, held a special working meeting. This was intended for the purpose of executing the transfer of the DRC embassy to Jerusalem, and simultaneously opening an Israeli embassy in Kinshasa. Upon completion of the move, the DRC is expected to be the 11th country to place its embassy in Israel's capital.
In the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, they state that moving embassies to Jerusalem constitutes one of the central policy goals they have set. Furthermore, the ministry is working to promote this goal vigorously, and the move joins the trend of opening additional embassies in the capital: next week Nauru will open its embassy in Jerusalem, and in October Colombia is expected to do the same.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is the largest country in sub-Saharan Africa - and the second largest on the entire continent. It has about 120 million residents. Today it is a member of the UN Security Council and the UN Human Rights Council. The country is rich in minerals critical to the chip, artificial intelligence, and electric vehicle industries, and there is significant potential for expanding economic and security cooperation between it and Israel.
Israel and the DRC have close and long-standing relations, which are also expressed in consistent support for Israel in international forums, including standing alongside Israel in proceedings at the International Criminal Court in The Hague. The Democratic Republic of the Congo is located in Central Africa and its capital is Kinshasa. Diplomatic relations between the countries were first established with Congo's independence in 1960, and over the years they have known cooperation in the fields of security, agriculture, and development.
In recent years, there has been a significant political rapprochement between the countries, which has been expressed in high-level meetings, mutual support in the international arena, and the strengthening of economic and strategic ties.
