Foreign Minister Gideon Saar inaugurated the Israeli embassy in the Zambian capital, Lusaka, alongside Zambia's Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Mulambo Haimbe. During their joint meeting, the foreign ministers signed a memorandum of understanding between the two countries. Israel operated an embassy in Zambia in the 1960s and 1970s, but it was closed as part of a reduction in the number of Israeli missions in Africa. Minister Saar: "This is a particularly moving moment to raise the Israeli flag and hear 'Hatikvah' here in Zambia after 52 years. This is the beginning of a new chapter between the countries."