Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar is on a trip to Colombia and Ecuador as part of a diplomatic push in Latin America, according to a Foreign Ministry statement Wednesday, as Israel looks to cultivate ties with Latin American nations headed by right-wing leaders.

Sa’ar flew first to Miami, where he met with local US Jewish leaders. According to his office, Sa’ar noted a recent ruling by a Palm Beach County judge that threw out a lawsuit challenging the county’s $1 billion Israel bond investment.

He then arrived in Ecuador on Wednesday, marking the first visit to the country by an Israeli foreign minister in 44 years. In Quito, Sa’ar was set to meet Wednesday with Ecuador’s foreign minister, after which they were set to deliver joint statements and speeches honoring Manuel Antonio Muñoz Borrero, the Ecuadorian diplomat who was recognized as a Righteous among the Nations for issuing Ecuadorian passports to European Jews in 1941.

Sa’ar will also meet Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa, his office said. He will then head to parliament and will meet members of Ecuador’s Jewish community.

He will fly to Colombia Wednesday night, and attend the Friday inauguration of the country’s new president, Abelardo de la Espriella, where he will also meet with leaders from Central and South America, the ministry said.

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