Kosovo officially opens embassy in Jerusalem, under EU criticism
Kosovo is the first Muslim-majority country to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
Here, a ceremony at the Foreign Ministry in Pristina after the restoration of diplomatic relations between the two countries, on February 1, 2021. © AFP - ARMEND NIMANI
Text by: RFI Follow
3 min
Nine days before the legislative elections in Israel, it is a victory for Benjamin Netanyahu: Kosovo officially opened an embassy in Jerusalem on Sunday March 14, thus recognizing the holy city as the capital of the Hebrew state.
As the Israeli prime minister rubs his hands, the event is criticized in the Arab world and in Europe.
Publicity
Read more
With our correspondent in Jerusalem,
Michel Paul
"
A moment of pride and history in the relations between our two countries
", tweeted the new ambassador of Pristina in Jerusalem, Ines Demiri.
Give and take: Israel recognizes
the independence of this young state
, and in return,
Kosovo becomes the first Muslim-majority country to
de facto recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital.
A truly proud and historic moment for 🇽🇰 🤝 🇮🇱 relations.
The Republic of Kosovo today officially opened its Embassy in Jerulasem!
The greatest honor of my life is to have this opportunity to open the Embassy and proudly serve my country in Israel.
pic.twitter.com/beUFmOeA5g
- Ines Demiri (@ InesDemiri1) March 14, 2021
The ceremony was brief, officially due to the coronavirus crisis.
The flag of Kosovo was hoisted in front of the embassy building in the western part of the city, and a discreet plaque was affixed at the entrance: it reads "
Republic of Kosovo
" in Albanian, English and Hebrew.
This normalization is one of the latest fruits of the Trump administration's diplomacy.
But the Kosovar decision to establish its embassy in Jerusalem did not pass without criticism, in particular from Turkey, which denounces a violation of international law, but also within the European Union.
Despite
many promises
at present,
only the United States
and
Guatemala
have moved their embassies to Jerusalem.
Last week, the Czech Republic contented itself with opening a diplomatic office in that city.
► Also listen: Israel plunges back into political crisis after the dissolution of the Knesset
Newsletter
Receive all international news directly in your mailbox
I subscribe
Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application
google-play-badge_FR
Kosovo
Israel
Diplomacy
Jerusalem
Benjamin Netanyahu
On the same subject
The Israeli vaccine diplomacy
Israel opens embassy in United Arab Emirates
Morocco: King Mohammed VI receives an Israeli-American diplomatic delegation