(Bloomberg) -- Brazil will open a diplomatic office in Jerusalem, Israel’s foreign minister said Sunday at the start of a visit by Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro.

Acting Foreign Minister Israel Katz made the comment on Twitter after meeting with his Brazilian counterpart, Ernesto Araujo. The Foreign Ministry sent out a statement noting signed agreements covering topics such as cyber security and defense, but didn’t say anything about a diplomatic mission. A ministry spokesman didn’t respond to a request for comment.

During his election campaign Bolsonaro pledged to move Brazil’s embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had been assured the move was imminent when he attended Bolsonaro’s inauguration in January. Both Israel and the Palestinians claim Jerusalem as their capital, and most countries have avoided locating their embassies there until the city’s status is finalized.

While it wasn’t clear exactly what Katz meant by a “diplomatic office,” anything less than a full embassy might be a disappointment for Netanyahu, who is running for re-election April 9 largely on the strength of his foreign-policy achievements. So far only the U.S. and Guatemala have moved their embassies to Jerusalem, but a number of countries recently have announced plans to open trade or cultural centers there, including the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia.

Bolsonaro was swept into office in part by Brazil’s evangelicals, who favor stronger ties with Israel and want to see the country’s embassy in Jerusalem. However, the move could harm Brazil’s relations with Arab countries, and especially its exports of halal meat.

Last week, Bolsonaro said Brazil was still studying the idea of an embassy move, and might open a “business office” in Jerusalem instead.

--With assistance from Fabiola Moura.

To contact the reporter on this story: Ivan Levingston in Tel Aviv at ilevingston@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Lin Noueihed at lnoueihed@bloomberg.net, Michael S. Arnold, Steve Geimann

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