Malawi Gets on Bandwagon, Opening Diplomatic Office in Yerushalayim

Malawi’s new leader has announced the nation’s intention to open a diplomatic office in Yerushalayim, which would make it the first African country to do so.

President Lazarus Chakwera’s decision comes a day after Serbia and Kosovo said they will be opening embassies in the Israeli capital.

The Malawi move is part of the President’s diplomatic initiative: “The reforms will also include a review of our diplomatic presence, including our resolve to have new diplomatic missions in Lagos, Nigeria and Israel. I will be sharing more details about this in the near future,” he said.

Until now, Malawi, a mostly Christian country with 21 million inhabitants, has maintained no embassy in Israel. Israel’s non-resident ambassador to Malawi, Oded Joseph, is based in Nairobi, Kenya.

To date, only the U.S. and Guatemala have established full-fledged embassies in Yerushalayim. A number of countries have opened trade, defense or cultural missions in the city, including Brazil, Australia, Hungary and Honduras.