Israel’s Cabinet on Sunday unanimously approved the appointment of Ruth Cohen-Dar as the country’s first resident ambassador to Slovenia.
Cohen-Dar currently serves as nonresident ambassador to Slovenia and Malta and has previously held diplomatic posts in Washington, Vienna and Warsaw.
The move follows Israel’s decision to open an embassy in Slovenia, expanding bilateral relations established in 1992.
Slovenia’s new government under Prime Minister Janez Janša has reversed several policies of its predecessor, including scrapping anti-Israel sanctions and an arms embargo.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said on June 4, when he announced the embassy move, that Janša’s election “marks a new chapter in relations between Israel and Slovenia. After years of the hostility of the previous government—we now have an opportunity to rebuild, strengthen and deepen a real partnership.
“An Israeli embassy is more than a diplomatic mission. It is a statement of friendship, dialogue and a shared belief in freedom, democracy and security. We are turning today a new page. When Israel’s friends return to power—Israel returns,” he continued.
