EU Warns Kosovo, Serbia: ‘Don’t Move Embassies To Jerusalem’
By Stefan J. Bos, Special Correspondent Worthy News
(Worthy News) – The European Union has warned Serbia and Kosovo that they may not become members of the bloc if they move their embassies to Jerusalem.
Over the weekend, U.S. President Donald Trump said both Balkan nations agreed to follow America’s example and move their diplomatic missions to the Jewish capital.
Trump also said that the former rivals Serbia and Kosovo, who fought a bitter war in the 1990s, had agreed to normalize economic ties following a meeting at the White House.
The U.S.-brokered talks also included moving embassies to Jerusalem and mutual recognition between Israel and Kosovo.
It angered the European Commission, the EU’s executive. It was involved in tough negotiations between Serbia and its former province of Kosovo on improving their long-strained relations.
EU POSITION
“There is no EU member state with an embassy in Jerusalem,” European Commission spokesman Peter Stano complained. “Any diplomatic steps that could call into question the EU’s common position on Jerusalem are a matter of serious concern and regret.”
Serbian officials later appeared to be watering down their commitment to Trump, and heavily Muslim Kosovo sought to calm worries in Islamic nations
The 27-nation EU’s long-held policy is that Jerusalem’s status should be worked out between Israel and the Palestinians. Brussels views this aa part of broader peace negotiations and urges Serbia, an EU candidate country, to respect that.
However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has praised the deal that establishes diplomatic relations with Kosovo and would have both Kosovo and Serbia open embassies in Jerusalem.
They would join the U.S. and Guatemala as the only countries with embassies in the contested city, whose eastern sector is claimed by the Palestinians as the capital of a future state.
ISRAEL PLEASED
“We will continue efforts so that additional European countries will transfer their embassies to Jerusalem,” Netanyahu said.
He stressed that Kosovo becomes the first Muslim-majority country to open an embassy in Jerusalem.
Kosovo unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in 2008, nearly a decade after Belgrade sent troops into its former territory to crush an uprising by ethnic Albanian separatists.
The conflict ended after 78 days of airstrikes by the NATO military alliance in 1999, targeting Serbian facilities.
However, Serbia still refuses to recognize Kosovo’s statehood.
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