Colombia to Open Embassy in Jerusalem, Restore Full Diplomatic Ties with Israel
Colombia's incoming foreign minister met with his Israeli counterpart in Washington D.C., marking a significant reversal in bilateral relations, with further discussions expected.
The conversation that mattered
A notable diplomatic shift occurred as Colombia's incoming Foreign Minister, Omar Bola Escobar, announced his country's intention to open an embassy in Jerusalem and restore full diplomatic relations with Israel. The announcement followed a meeting with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar in Washington D.C. on Friday.
This move signals a significant departure from the previous administration under President Gustavo Petro, who had severed diplomatic ties with Israel and suspended arms purchases. The re-establishment of full diplomatic relations and the decision regarding the embassy's location underscore a new chapter for the two nations, with both sides agreeing to remove visa requirements. The development is expected to pave the way for deeper engagement across various sectors, following a period of strained relations.
Today's meetings
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio
Actor Two: Jordanian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi
Venue Or Format: Department of State, Washington D.C.
What Was Discussed: Bilateral and regional issues, including Iranian attacks on shipping and Jordanian territory.
Signal: Underscores US concern over regional stability and condemnation of Iranian aggression.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio
Actor Two: Colombian Vice President-Elect José Manuel Restrepo
Venue Or Format: Department of State, Washington D.C.
What Was Discussed: Strengthening economic ties and advancing bilateral and regional security cooperation.
Signal: Highlights US commitment to partnering with Colombia's new administration on economic and security fronts.
India's Minister of External Affairs Dr. S. Jaishankar
Actor Two: Belgium's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Maxime Prévot
Venue Or Format: Inaugural India-Belgium Strategic Dialogue
What Was Discussed: Deepening cooperation in trade, green energy, innovation, technology, connectivity, defense, and security.
Signal: Establishes a new structured framework for comprehensive bilateral engagement between India and Belgium.
SCO Secretary-General Nurlan Yermekbayev
Actor Two: Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar
Venue Or Format: Islamabad
What Was Discussed: Current issues of SCO activities, Pakistan's upcoming chairmanship, and cooperation in security, trade, economy, and cultural exchanges.
Signal: Reinforces Pakistan's active role within the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and its upcoming leadership.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Actor Two: Moldova, Romania, Serbia, Albania Presidents; Croatia, Slovenia Prime Ministers
Venue Or Format: Kyiv, following Ukraine–Southeast Europe Summit
What Was Discussed: Strengthening bilateral relations, shared security, and the broader international agenda.
Signal: Demonstrates Ukraine's commitment to building strong partnerships with Southeast European nations amid ongoing challenges.
Uzbekistan Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov
Actor Two: Turkmenistan Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov
Venue Or Format: Ashgabat
What Was Discussed: Aligning positions on key bilateral, regional, and international agendas.
Signal: Indicates ongoing coordination and cooperation between the two Central Asian states.
Joint statements + readouts
Cyprus and Lebanon
Topic: Electricity Interconnection
Key Line: The Ministers of Energy have jointly confirmed their agreement on the Terms of Reference and the launch of a World Bank-supported prefeasibility assessment of an electricity interconnection between Cyprus and Lebanon.
United States, Japan, Republic of Korea
Topic: Trilateral Chiefs of Defense Meeting
Key Line: The three defense chiefs reaffirmed that enhanced trilateral security cooperation is critical to effectively respond to the DPRK's expanding nuclear and missile threats, as well as to regional challenges and threats.
Australia and India
Topic: Strategic Partnership Outcomes
Key Line: Prime Minister Modi's July 2026 visit produced a suite of agreements that push the Australia–India relationship well beyond tariffs - into investment, critical minerals, civil nuclear energy, technology and defence initiatives.
Multilateral pulse
Ukraine–Southeast Europe Summit. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hosted a summit in Kyiv, followed by six bilateral meetings with leaders from Moldova, Romania, Serbia, Albania, Croatia, and Slovenia to discuss regional security and cooperation.
Trilateral Chiefs of Defense (Tri-CHOD) Meeting. The 23rd Tri-CHOD Meeting convened in Washington, D.C., with General Dan Caine (US), General UCHIKURA Hiroaki (Japan), and General Jin Yong-sung (ROK) discussing enhanced security cooperation against DPRK threats.
Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). SCO Secretary-General Nurlan Yermekbayev met with Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar in Islamabad to discuss SCO activities and Pakistan's upcoming chairmanship.
Bilateral threads worth following
Colombia ↔ Israel
Current State: Restoring full diplomatic relations; Colombia will open an embassy in Jerusalem.
Last Move: Incoming Colombian Foreign Minister Omar Bola Escobar met with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar in Washington D.C. on July 16.
US ↔ Jordan
Current State: Engaged on regional security and condemning Iranian attacks.
Last Move: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi on July 15.
India ↔ Belgium
Current State: Inaugurated a Strategic Dialogue to deepen cooperation across various sectors.
Last Move: The first India-Belgium Strategic Dialogue, co-chaired by Foreign Ministers, took place on July 15.
Pakistan ↔ China
Current State: Deepening cooperation on Artificial Intelligence and global AI governance.
Last Move: Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar departed for Shanghai on July 16 to attend an AI summit and sign Pakistan's accession to WAICO as a founding member.
Australia ↔ India
Current State: Advancing towards a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement and enhanced strategic cooperation.
Last Move: Outcomes from Prime Minister Modi's July 2026 visit to Australia, including a reaffirmed commitment to CECA, were reported on July 16.
What we'll be watching next 72h
- Azerbaijan Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov is scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on July 17.
- Pakistan Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar will attend the opening ceremony of the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) on July 17 in Shanghai.
- Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi is expected to speak at a US Chamber of Commerce summit on Friday, July 17, where $60 billion in commercial agreements are anticipated.
- South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa will co-chair the fourth Session of the South Africa–Namibia Binational Commission (BNC) with President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah on July 17 in Pretoria.
- APEC Digital Week kicks off on July 16 in Chengdu, China, including a Digital and AI Ministerial Meeting and a High-level Forum on AI.
- Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis plans to visit Korea next week for talks with Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, with a meeting scheduled for Monday, July 20.
Reporting + analyst voices: grounded via Google Search at publish time.