WORLD NEWS | Israeli foreign minister opens embassy in Turkmenistan near Iran border

Ashgabat, April 20 (AP) — Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen opened the country’s permanent embassy in Turkmenistan on Thursday, saying the move will strengthen Israel’s position in Central Asia.

Cohen, visiting a senior Israeli diplomat for the first time since 1994, met Turkmenistan President Berdymukhamedov.

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“Relationships with Turkmenistan are important for security and diplomacy, and this visit will strengthen Israel’s position in the region,” Cohen tweeted.

The opening of a permanent diplomatic mission in the capital Ashgabat, about 25 kilometers (16 miles) from the Iranian border, makes Israel’s third embassy in former Soviet Central Asia, after Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.

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Turkmenistan, with its rich natural gas reserves, pursues a firm foreign policy of neutrality. Since independence in 1991 after the collapse of the Soviet Union, it has been largely isolated by authoritarian rulers. (Associated Press)

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