The embassy is located in the Muslim country of Turkmenistan
By Nosson Shulman: Licensed Tour Guide of VIP Israel Tours & Authentic Virtual Tours (click here to check out his free trailer videos)
Photo Credit: GPO of Israel
In another diplomatic victory, Israel has once again successfully opened another embassy in a Muslim country, this time in Turkmenistan. While milestones like this have become much more common due to warming relationships between the Jewish State and several other Islamic countries, on a strategic level, this may be among the most important. That is because the Israeli embassy is located a mere 10 miles (17 kms) from the Iranian border!
Turkmenistan, a central Asian country located in the former Soviet Union, is an energy rich country of 6 million people. In addition to possessing an abundance of known oil reserves, it is believed to have the 4th largest natural gas reserves in the world. Although the landlocked country has officially had a relationship with the Jewish State since 1993, it was largely kept under the radar. For the past decade Israel has had an ambassador in Ashgabat, although until this embassy was opened he mainly worked from hotels and a temporary office. In the last year cooperation between the two countries has increased significantly, particularly in the areas of cyber defense and health. Trade between the two nations is currently at 8 million dollars annually, however with this move that number is likely to increase. Clearly illustrating how Turkmenistan understands the benefit to having a good relationship with Israel, the country’s head of state, President Serdar Berdimuhamedow, personally attended the embassy’s inauguration.
Recently, Israel has made establishing and strengthening relations with central Asian, Muslim countries like Azerbaijan (who will soon open an embassy in Tel Aviv. For more on that, click here) and Turkmenistan a top priority. The two countries share a significant border with Iran, and should Israel need to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities without US support, both can potentially be used as a base for Israeli planes, making such action more feasible. Indeed, there have been reports that Azerbaijan allows Israel to use bases on its soil to launch reconnaissance flights over Iran, and to send intelligence operatives into the Islamic theocratic state to disrupt its nuclear program.
Officially Turkmenistan is politically neutral and does not enter into any political or military blocs (much like Switzerland). Recently, however, it has had economic disputes with Iran over large hydrocarbon deposits and other financial issues, including Tehran’s non-payment of 1.8 billion dollars’ worth of gas it received from its landlocked neighbor, and Iran’s holding up a pipeline that would allow Turkmenistan to export gas from the Caspian Sea to Europe. If Israel has to go against Iran on its own, this relationship can prove to be vital.
Nosson Shulman is a journalist and Licensed Tour Guide in Israel specializing in Biblical tours. To allow tourists to experience Israel during the Corona era, he created the new hit Israel tour video series which brings Israel to the home of viewers by simulating actual tours. To check out his free sneak preview tour videos, click here. To view sample tour itineraries or to inquire about private tour opportunities with a personalized itinerary on your next trip to Israel, click here.
© 2023 All Rights Reserved – Unauthorized Duplication is prohibited
Unique Sites of Israel Blog 