JERUSALEM, Israel – On April 28, 2025, His Excellency Jackson T. Soram, the newly appointed Ambassador of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) to the State of Israel, officially presented his Letter of Credence to His Excellency Isaac Herzog, President of Israel, in a ceremony at the Presidential Residence in Jerusalem. This formalizes the 5th FSM Ambassador officially accredited to the State of Israel, with Ambassador Soram serving cross-accredited as a resident Ambassador to the United States of America in Washington, DC. In the same ceremony, Ambassador Soram also presented the Letter of Recall of his predecessor, Ambassador Asterio Takesy.
This momentous occasion commemorates the unique and enduring friendship between the State of Israel and the Federated States of Micronesia. Israel was among the first nations to recognize and supported Micronesia’s sovereignty during FSM’s early efforts to establish itself on the international stage, and notably, was the first country in the Middle East to establish full diplomatic relations with the FSM. Through its short history on the world stage, Micronesia has been consistent with its support of the State of Israel at a multilateral level and especially of late with the conflict of October 7, 2023, widely regarded as the Hamas terrorist deadliest attack waged against Jewish people since the Holocaust.
At the ceremony, His Excellency President Isaac Herzog warmly welcomed Ambassador Soram to the State of Israel and formally accepted both the Letter of Credence and the Letter of Recall. In his remarks, President Herzog expressed deep admiration and appreciation for the Federated States of Micronesia, stating, “First of all, we love your country. You’re one of the closest friends Israel has…Israel sees you as a great nation and friend. We hope to see your President, (H.E. Wesley Simina), in Israel, it would be a dream of ours, and a great dream of mine to visit your country.”
Ambassador Soram respectfully accepted the invitation on behalf of President Simina and expressed his gratitude for Israel’s warm hospitality extended to his delegation during his visit. While expressing appreciation for Israel’s support to his predecessor, he also reaffirmed Micronesia’s commitment to further strengthening the enduring partnership between the two countries. The ceremony, while brief, resonated throughout the halls of the presidential residence with Micronesia’s national anthem orchestrated by a band and ending with the Israeli anthem.
Prior to the presentation of credentials, Ambassador Soram and Deputy Chief of Mission Teresa Filepin had productive meetings with different divisions within the Israeli’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Chief of Protocol for the State of Israel, and ended the official meetings with the head of Israel’s Agency for Development Cooperation, MASHAV (Israel’s Agency for International Development Cooperation), where focused is on development support and training opportunities for FSM. The delegation was also honored by a surprise ‘meet and greet’ from the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hon. Gideon Sa’ar.
Ambassador Soram was accompanied by Madam Soram and Deputy Chief of Mission, Teresa Filepin. Micronesia’s Permanent Representative Ambassador Jeem Lippwe, on a different mission to Israel, also attended the ceremonies and so was FSM Honorary Consul to Israel, Ms. Ragolsky Dayan Rimon. Along with the Federated States of Micronesia, President Herzog also received diplomatic credentials of new ambassadors to the State of Israel from Cambodia, Fiji, and Nauru.
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