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World Jewish News
Israel Intends a Breakthrough in Relations with Belarus
14.01.2009
The deputy head of the press service of the Israeli Foreign Ministry Eddie Shapira - one of the most experienced diplomats in "post-Soviet affairs" - was appointed Ambassador of Israel in Belarus. As reported by IzRus , his task is to provide a breakthrough in bilateral relations.
The official change of the Ambassador will take place in Minsk on Tuesday, January 13.
46-year-old Shapira immigrated to Israel from Kishinev in the age of 11. His diplomatic career developed in Ukraine, Thailand and Russia. He worked in Moscow in 2003-2005 as first deputy ambassador. Shapira then assumed the position of Deputy Head of MFA on Eastern Europe and the CIS.
During the last year and a half the relations between Israel and Belarus have not been easy. In October 2007, Ambassador Zeev Ben-Arie was withdrawn "for consultations" after the statements of President Lukashenko, which Jerusalem considered anti-Semitic. Belorussian President accused the Jews of the current deplorable state of Bobruisk, now abandoned by Jews.
Then the tangled knot of visa problems led to an open debate between the consular services of the two foreign ministries. In early 2008 President Lukashenko expressed his dissatisfaction with the fact that major Israeli businessmen have been slow in fulfilling their promises to invest in the economy of the Republic.
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