Serbia will change its mind to move the embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, as it agreed to do at the request of the United States, if the Jewish state recognizes the Republic of Kosovo as an independent country. A source close to him told The Jerusalem Post about such intentions of the administration of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.
“Such a step will also damage the good relations between Israel and Serbia, they will never be the same,” said the source of the Israeli journalist. He compared the issue of the recognition of Kosovo with the issue of recognition of Palestine, which is acute for the Israeli authorities and population.
Earlier, the Israeli Foreign Ministry welcomed the decision of Serbia and Kosovo, following the US, to move their embassies to Jerusalem. This decision was called “a bridge to world peace”, and Kosovo is referred to in this statement as a separate state entity.
Serbia is not alone in the development of relations between Israel and Kosovo. In early September, Turkey warned Kosovo against recognizing Jerusalem as the Israeli capital. The Palestinian Authority has warned that it will sever relations with any state that takes such a step.
Earlier, Prime Minister of Kosovo Hashim Thaci announced on Twitter that his country will move the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, thus recognizing it as the capital of Israel. In response, the Jewish state set out to officially recognize Kosovo.
The announcement came after Thaci's trilateral talks with US President Donald Trump and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic. The Serbian side also agreed with the American proposal to move the embassy. Serbia and Kosovo, according to Trump, achieved an unprecedented breakthrough in relations by normalizing economic ties.
The Republic of Kosovo is a partially recognized state on the Balkan Peninsula. It is mainly inhabited by ethnic Albanians, but there is also a Serb population. Serbia considers the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija – the so-called region in the Serbian constitution – part of its territory, the local authorities declared independence in 2008.
