Israel will open an embassy in Turkmenistan's capital Ashgabat for the first time, Israeli Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday in a statement sent to Xinhua.
The decision to open the embassy was reached in view of the development of good bilateral relationship with Turkmenistan and the new momentum in relations with Central Asian countries, said the statement.
Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has discussed the issue with his Turkmen counterpart Rashid Meredov and informed him of Israel's decision, said the statement, adding that the Turkmen foreign minister welcomed the announcement.
Ever since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Israel and Turkmenistan at the beginning of the 1990s, both countries have contributed to the expansion and deepening of the bilateral relationship.
Turkmenistan is one of the leading countries in Central Asia, and Israel's relations with it are of political, economic and strategic importance, according to the statement.
"We are certain that the permanent presence of an Israeli diplomat at the ambassadorial level in Ashgabat will ensure an additional quantum leap in the development of relations with a pivotal and friendly country such as Turkmenistan," the statement said.