Uruguay announced on Wednesday that it would open a diplomatic office in Jerusalem. During a meeting with Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen in Montevideo, Uruguayan President Luis Lacalle Pou and Foreign Minister Francisco Bustillo Bonasso announced that his country would open a diplomatic office for innovation partnerships in the Israeli capital. Foreign Minister Cohen invited President Lacalle Pou for a visit to Israel, during which he would inaugurate the office. In addition, the ministers discussed expanding the import quotas of Uruguayan meat to Israel, a move that would lower the prices of imported meat and fight the rise in the cost of living. During the meetings, Cohen also mentioned the importance of the fight against Iran's attempts to expand its influence in Latin America and the immediate necessity to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear capabilities. Cohen remarked on the Uruguayan decision: "We are continuing to strengthen the international position of Jerusalem, the capital of Israel. When I entered this position at the beginning of the year, I set a goal to double the diplomatic missions in Jerusalem, and this week we made two important steps to reach that goal. Uraguay is one of Israel's most important allies in Latin America, and President Lacalle Pou's decision to open an innovations office in Jerusalem will advance relations between the countries and the economic and trade ties between us." Foreign Minister Cohen is currently on an official visit to South America. On Tuesday, he met with Paraguayan President Santiago Peña just a few hours after Peña took office. During the meeting, the two agreed that The President of Paraguay will inaugurate his country's embassy in the Israeli capital in the coming months, while Israel will reopen its embassy in Asunción, the capital of Paraguay.
