Czech Republic opens diplomatic office in Jerusalem

The Czech Republic opened the Jerusalem office of its embassy Thursday at a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis and Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi.

“We keep our promise,” said Babis, standing in the shadow of the historic YMCA building in the Talbieh neighborhood of Jerusalem. “The Czech Republic will have a full-fledged diplomatic mission here in Jerusalem. It will deal with a lot — ranging from politics, economic cooperation, consular agenda, and other topics. It will have a permanent staff and work under the lead of our embassy in Tel Aviv.”

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We just finished the ceremony to inaugurate the office of the #Czech Embassy in #Jerusalem.

Together with Czech Prime Minister @AndrejBabis, we cut the ribbon and officially announced the start of the office’s activities. pic.twitter.com/n3BGyFIPuq

— גבי אשכנזי – Gabi Ashkenazi (@Gabi_Ashkenazi) March 11, 2021

The Czech foreign ministry announced its plans to open the mission in December. The Czech Republic is the second European Union member state, after Hungary, to open a diplomatic mission in the city.

In May 2018, President Milos Zeman announced the beginning of a three-stage process to move the country’s embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

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