Kosovo’s Foreign Ministry said on Sunday that it has formally opened its embassy to Israel in Jerusalem.
A statement said the move was made after diplomatic ties were established with Israel on Feb. 1 and the Kosovo-Serbia summit held at the White House in September.
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Police officers walk past the Kosovar and Israeli flags unveiled at a reception in Pristina in February after the two countries established diplomatic ties
(Photo: AFP)
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora announce that the Kosovo Ambassador in the State of Israel, with headquarters in Jerusalem, has been officially opened,” the statement said.
Palestinians claim East Jerusalem, captured by Israel from Jordan in the Six Day War in 1967 and later annexed, as the future state capital.
The majority of the international community does not recognize Israel’s connection to East Jerusalem and says the competitive bids to the city should be resolved through compromise. Most international embassies are in Tel Aviv.
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Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi and Kosovar representative Meliza Haradinaj Stublla will attend a keynote address to sign an agreement on diplomatic relations between Israel and Kosovo at the Israeli Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem
(Photo: Reuters)
Kosovo is the first European country and a Muslim majority to establish its embassy in Jerusalem, following the US and Guatemala.
Kosovo’s decision was taken when Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti met out with Serb President Aleksandar Vucic at the White House in September with then-US President Donald Trump.
“By placing the blankets and the state flag at the Kosovo embassy in Israel, they called on the commitment of the Kosovo Government to keep the promise to cover the diplomatic trip to Jerusalem,” he said.
Albin Kurti, the prime minister-designate, has been in a difficult diplomatic position ahead of his resignation after pressure from Turkey, a close ally of the new Western Balkan country to change his mind about the situation in Jerusalem.
Kurti has said “The location of the embassy is being considered after examining outgoing government documents.”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned Kosovo that the move could damage relations with his country in the future.