Paraguay has formally opened its new Jerusalem embassy in Israel in a ceremony attended by President Santiago Pea and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, following a back-and-forth struggle over the diplomatic seat that kicked off in 2018, Reuters reports.

“This step symbolises our commitment to shared values and the strengthening of the ties that build a future of peace, development and mutual understanding,” Pea said at the new embassy’s opening ceremony.

The president did not refer to the fighting in Gaza or other recent Israeli military operations in Lebanon or Syria.