Kosovo officially opened its embassy in Jerusalem after becoming the first area of the Muslim majority to recognize the city as Israel’s capital.
The move was in exchange for Israel recognizing Kosovo, a major victory for Pristina’s efforts to gain worldwide recognition of the independence he declared in 2008 after a war with Serbia in the 1990s.
The embassy was opened during a brief ceremony during which Kosovo’s flag was hoisted in front of the building in Jerusalem, the foreign ministry said in a statement.
Serbia has refused to recognize the independence of its former province, although Kosovo has now been recognized by much of the Western world, but its rejection by Belgrade’s key allies Russia and China has ruled it out outside the United Nations.
Israel was another important position until last month when it established diplomatic ties with Kosovo. In return, Kosovo followed the controversial leadership of former US President Donald Trump by recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish state.
Trump discussed the Israel-Kosovo agreement in Washington during economic talks with Serbia and Kosovo in September. Kosovo’s decision has not only led to Muslim-majority countries such as Turkey, but also to Europe.
The status of Jerusalem remains one of the biggest hotspots in the protracted Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Palestinians claim East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state, and most countries have their embassies in Tel Aviv.
In one of Europe’s most indisputable disputes, Serbia has rejected Kosovo’s independence since breaking away in a 1998-99 war, which was only ended by a NATO bombing of Serb troops.
Both Kosovo and Serbia are experiencing increasing pressure from the west to resolve the stalemate, which is seen as important for EU accession. More than 13,000 people were killed in the war, mostly Kosovo Albanians, who form a majority in the former province.