Minister of Foreign Affairs Gideon Sa'ar and Bolivian Foreign Minister Fernando Armayo held an event in Washington DC on Tuesday night and signed a Joint Communiqué to renew diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Bolivia’s Minister of Finance and Economy José Gabriel Espinoza also participated in the event.
Minister Sa’ar said during the event, "I just had a warm and moving meeting with Bolivia’s Foreign Minister, Fernando Aramayo. I'm also glad to welcome Minister of Finance and Economy José Gabriel Espinoza. Thank you for participating. And I also learned a little bit about your planned economic reforms, which will hopefully, and this is our hope too, put Bolivia on the right path.”
“Israel and Bolivia share a longstanding friendship. But since 2009 - except for a brief period in 2020 - Israel and Bolivia have had no diplomatic relations,” he continued. “Today, we are ending the long, unnecessary chapter of separation between our two nations.”
“Following the election of President Rodrigo Paz, I am pleased to announce that Israel and Bolivia are renewing diplomatic relations,” Sa’ar stated.
“I spoke with President Paz the day after his victory in the elections in October. I conveyed Israel's desire to open a new chapter and fully restore relations. Israel was represented at President Paz’s inauguration on November 8th by the Director-General of the my Ministry. Today we are formally taking it a step further.”
Sa’ar said that he and Minister Aramayo signed the Joint Communiqué on the Reestablishment of Diplomatic Relations between Israel and Bolivia which lays out a clear framework for renewed ties.
“We agreed to reestablish full diplomatic relations and to appoint ambassadors in a timely manner. We exchanged mutual invitations for government and private sector representatives. We will visit each other's countries to explore new opportunities for cooperation. And we committed our two Foreign Ministries to ongoing dialogue on bilateral, regional, and multilateral issues.”
“Our goal,” said Sa’ar, “is strengthening and deepening our relations across many fields. And we already discussed that between ourselves and we will continue to do it after these declarations.”
“We want to help the new Bolivian government and the people of Bolivia. We will do so in agriculture through our development agency, Mashav. We will do so in the field of security, between our foreign ministries, and many more areas.”
Commenting on the history of the relations between Bolivia and Israel, Sa’ar said, “Bolivia, the Jewish people, and the State of Israel share a long history of true friendship. Bolivia opened its doors to Jewish refugees during the Second World War when much of the world closed its gates. Bolivia supported the establishment of the State of Israel in the historic 1947 UN vote. For many decades, our two nations enjoyed warm diplomatic relations.”
Sa’ar continued, “The renewal of our ties is an important and welcome step. Israel is committed to working closely with the Bolivian government in areas that serve both our nations: Such as water management, agriculture, health, innovation, our shared fight against organized crime and narco-terrorism.”
“With Bolivia’s recent decision to lift the visa requirement for Israeli tourists, I know that thousands of Israelis will once again visit this beautiful country every year. This will contribute to strengthening the human bridge between our peoples,” said the Foreign Minister, who noted that strengthening relations with Latin American countries as a whole is a foreign policy priority of his for 2026.
“Today, Israel and Bolivia are opening a new chapter in our relations. Standing here in Washington DC - as we sign this historic agreement - I know we will work closely with the United States under President Trump, to build a better future.”
“We wish President Paz, and the new government, much success. I know, Minister, that we'll do great things together. Thank you!" concluded Sa’ar.