​The opening ceremony of Israel's new embassy in Asunción, which included the mounting of a mezuzah to the doorframe of the embassy’s permanent offices, was held today (Monday 5 September, 2016).

Ambassador Peleg Levi hosted the ceremony, which was attended by many senior Paraguayan officials, including the President of the Supreme Court, the President of the House of Representatives, the Minister of Labor, Chairman of the Manufacturers Association, members of parliament and leaders of the Jewish community of Paraguay.

The government of Paraguay stood by Israel during Operation Protective Edge, a time when Israel was criticized by many countries. More recently, Paraguay supported Israel at major international forums. Israel cooperates with Paraguay in the battle against terrorism and maintains a supportive role in actions against Hezbollah at the tri-border region.

The two nations maintain a bilateral free trade agreement within the framework of Mercosur - the South American Common Market.  Sophisticated Israeli risk-prevention systems have been installed at the Itaipú hydroelectric power plant, one of the largest hydroelectric power plants in the world. The bilateral balance of trade stands at $ 200 million. Large-scale meat imports form a large portion of Israel’s trade with Paraguay. Israel maintains close cooperation with Paraguay in the areas of water, agriculture, education and medicine, and recently the Ministers of Agriculture of the two countries exchanged visits and signed agreements of cooperation in the field of agricultural technology.

The embassy’s reopening represents a full historic circle after the embassy was closed in 2002, along with 15 other embassies around the world, due to budgetary constraints. In July 2013, a month before taking office, the newly elected president of Paraguay announced the opening of the embassy of Paraguay in Israel and appointed Honorary Consul Max Haber as Paraguay's ambassador to Israel.