The ways of international diplomacy are surely tricky, but rarely to the extent shown off by the Israeli envoy to North Macedonia, who performed a handstand as he met the host country’s president in an apparent bid to impress him.

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President Stevo Pendarovski met Israeli Ambassador Dan Oryan on Friday at his Skopje residence. It being their very first meeting, the recently elected Pendarovski played things safe, talking economics and cooperation; the resulting press releases weren’t exactly a thrilling read.

Except for one item: shared to the president’s Facebook page was a bizarre picture of the Israeli envoy showing off his impressive athletic skills, right in the North Macedonian leader’s hall, with Oryan standing on his left hand and his tie hanging before his face. In the background, a very attentive and serious Pendarovski watches in front of a backdrop of the NATO, EU and Macedonian flags.

“Let this photo – the handstand by Israeli Ambassador Dan Oryan – be an inspiration and yet another proof that workouts are very important and sometimes funny,” the president wrote, ending his post with a smiley face.

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The Israeli envoy has been spotted performing various acrobatic feats before – namely, practicing his high jump in front of various world landmarks – yet his new stunt is arguably the most high-profile one to date.

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