On Thursday, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen opened a permanent embassy in Turkmenistan, a Central Asian country. This move establishes Israel's strongest diplomatic presence close toIran and demonstrates its efforts to enhance relationship with Iran's neighboring countries. Despite establishing diplomatic relations three decades ago, there was only a temporary Israeli mission in Ashgabat, and Turkmenistan, which is predominantly Muslim, still does not have an embassy in Israel.

Foreign Minister Eli Cohen stated that the opening of the permanent Israeli embassy in Turkmenistan is symbolic, as it comes after 30 years of strengthening their relationship. He expressed his excitement about inaugurating the embassy during his visit to Ashgabat, the capital, and mentioned on Twitter that it is located just 17 km from the Iranian border. Cohen emphasized the significance of Israel's relationship with Turkmenistan in terms of security and politics and mentioned that this visit would bolster Israel's standing in the region. It was due to pressure from Iran, Turkmenistan had rejected the appointment of an Israeli ambassador for multiple years, up until 2013. After that, Israeli ambassadors were stationed in hotels in the capital city of Turkmenistan while waiting for the establishment of a permanent embassy. On Thursday, Foreign Minister Cohen officially opened the new embassy. Israel has two other permanent embassies in the region, located in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.

What adds to the geopolitical importance of Turkmenistan is that it is  a country located on the Caspian Sea without direct access to the ocean, bordered by Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and Iran. Times of Israel pointed out that Turkmenistan's border with Iran is over 700 miles long, which presents an attractive opportunity for Israel to enter the Islamic Republic as it seeks to halt Tehran's nuclear program.Currently, Israel's trade with Turkmenistan stands at only $8 million per year, but it is expected to increase with the opening of the new embassy. Turkmenistan is also rich in natural gas resources and has significant trade relations with China. They  have strengthened their connections with Gulf nations in recent years as its relationship with Iran became strained, mainly because of economic disagreements. The Turkmen administration aims to entice investments from Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia, and benefit from the ambitious Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline project, among other things.

By: S.R