Kosovo, located in Europe’s Balkan Peninsula, announced today the opening of its embassy in Jerusalem, the first Muslim-majority country to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, after becoming the first Muslim-majority country to do so in February.
Kosovo, which became embroiled in war with Serbia in the 1990s, declared independence in 2008 and has since worked to gain recognition from all countries around the world. The recognition by Israel is a major victory for Kosovo.
The new embassy in Jerusalem opened today with a brief ceremony, with a Kosovo flag raised in front of the embassy, a statement from Kosovo’s Foreign Ministry said, adding that the embassy is officially operational.
Serbia’s repeated refusal to recognize the independence of Kosovo, formerly an internal province, has kept Kosovo out of the United Nations (UN), despite recognition by most Western countries, and by Russia and China, the Serbs’ main allies.
Israel was another important country that refused to recognize Kosovo until the two sides agreed to establish diplomatic relations in February of this year; as a result, Kosovo agreed to follow in the footsteps of former U.S. President Donald Trump and recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
The agreement between Israel and Kosovo was discussed during Trump’s economic dialogue with Serbia and Kosovo in Washington, D.C., in September of last year.
The decision announced by Kosovo at the Time sparked criticism not only from Muslim-majority countries such as Turkey, but also from European countries. The status of Jerusalem remains one of the biggest flashpoints in the long-running conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. The Palestinians claim East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state, and most countries have their embassies in Israel in Tel Aviv.
Recent Comments