While Serbia is criticizing Israel’s recognition of Kosovo’s state, Turkey says Kosovo’s plan to move an embassy to Jerusalem is in violation of international law.
Serbia’s foreign minister has been outraged at Israel’s decision to recognize Kosovo, a former region of Serbia that Belgrade’s state is denying, saying officials were “not happy” with the development.
The response came a day after Israel and Kosovo established diplomatic ties under a treaty that broke the United States, marking victory for Pristina’s efforts to gain full global recognition of the independence it declared in 2008 after a war with Serbia. in the 1990s.
“We have put great efforts into our relationship with Israel in recent years and we are not happy with this decision,” Serbian foreign minister Nikola Selakovic told RTS public broadcaster Tuesday.
The Israeli move “will undoubtedly affect relations between Serbia and Israel,” he said.
Most Western countries have recognized Kosovo, but when rejected by the main allies of Serbia, Russia and China, it was locked out of the United Nations.
Until Monday, Israel was another key player on the Belgrade side.
Since relations in 1991, the countries have maintained good relations with Israel’s growing investment in the small Balkan state.
Turkey is under pressure according to an embassy plan
In exchange for Israel’s recognition, Kosovo recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, as the first area of the Muslim majority to do so.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi confirmed on Monday that he had approved Kosovo’s “formal request to open an embassy” in the city.
So far, only the US and Guatemala have opened embassies in Jerusalem, and Serbia, Malawi and Honduras have pledged to do the same.
Kosovo’s embassy plans drew criticism from Turkey, with Ankara saying the proposed move was contrary to UN resolutions and international law.
“It is clear that any step towards this directive will not serve the Palestinian cause and weaken the vision of a two-state solution,” foreign ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy said in a written statement Monday.
Diplomatic treaties with U.S. bankruptcy
Jerusalem is at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that has been going on for decades, with the Palestinian Authority (PA) calling for East Jerusalem – which had been illegally occupied since 1967 – to be a major -the state of Palestine.
There is a global consensus against recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel until the Palestinian conflict is resolved.
In 2017, former U.S. President Donald Trump shocked observers by saying that the U.S. would move the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and recognize the latter as the capital of Israel.
The embassy move in May of the following year was marked in Israel but has been criticized elsewhere.
A new White House administration with President Joe Biden has said it will keep the U.S. embassy in Israel in Jerusalem, and continue to recognize the city as the capital of Israel.
Under Trump, the U.S. broke several treaties to establish diplomatic relations between Israel and several Arab states, including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan.
These agreements, collectively known as Abraham Accords, have been criticized by many major Muslim nations.
But unlike Kosovo, the Arab parties to all the Abraham Accords have insisted that their diplomatic missions to Israel in Tel Aviv.