The controversial move comes after Israel recognized Kosovo’s independence and means that there are now three countries with embassies located in Jerusalem.
Kosovo says it has formally opened its embassy to Israel in Jerusalem, making it the first European country to establish an embassy in the controversial city that has status at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
A foreign ministry statement on Sunday said the move was made after diplomatic ties were established with Israel on February 1 and the Kosovo-Serbia conference held at the White House in September.
“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.
Kosovo will follow the United States and Guatemala in developing the embassy in Jerusalem.
Kosovo’s decision was taken when Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti met to meet with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic at the White House in September with the then-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.
A proud and historic moment for a 🇽🇰 🤝 dàimh relationship.
The Republic of Kosovo has officially opened its embassy in Jerulasem!
It is the greatest honor of my life to have this opportunity to open the Ambassador and proudly serve my country in Israel. pic.twitter.com/beUFmOeA5g– Ines Demiri (@ InesDemiri1) March 14, 2021
Ines Demiri, Charge d’Affaires of Kosovo, called Israel a “truly proud and historic moment”.
“It is the greatest honor of my life to have this opportunity to open the embassy and proudly serve my country in Israel,” Demiri wrote on Twitter.
Palestinians claim to have occupied East Jerusalem, captured by Israel in the 1967 war, 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.
Recognition of independence
The move in exchange for Israel recognized Kosovo, a major influence for Pristina ‘s efforts to gain full global recognition of the independence it declared in 2008 after a war with Serbia in the 1990s.
Serbia refused to accept the independence of its former region, so while Kosovo is now recognized by much of the Western world, its rejection by Belgrade’s main allies Russia and China is locked in. out of the United Nations.
Israel had been another mainstay until last month when it established diplomatic ties with Kosovo.
On the exchange, Kosovo continued to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish state.
Albin Kurti, the prime minister-designate, has found himself 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.
In one of the most difficult controversies in Europe, Serbia has rejected Kosovo’s independence since it broke away in the war of 1998–1999 which culminated in a NATO bombing campaign against Serbian troops.
Kosovo and Serbia are under great pressure from the West to resolve the embargo, which is seen as important for both sides entering the European Union.