President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with
Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic (seated at left) and Kosovo’s Prime
Minister Avdullah Hoti (right) at the White House, September 4, 2020. (Leah
Millis/Reuters)
Kosovo will recognize Israel, and Serbia will move its
Israeli embassy to Jerusalem, President Trump announced Friday after he oversaw
a “breakthrough” agreement to normalize economic relations between Kosovo and
Serbia.
Serbian president Aleksandar Vučić and Kosovan prime
minister Avdullah Hoti inked the Belgrade-Pristina deal during a
joint visit to the White House on Thursday, more than a decade after Kosovo
declared independence from Serbia.
“Today, I am pleased to announce yet another historic
commitment,” Trump said in a statement. “Serbia and Kosovo have each committed
to economic normalization. After a violent and tragic history and years of
failed negotiations, my Administration proposed a new way of bridging the divide.
By focusing on job creation and economic growth, the two countries were able to
reach a real breakthrough on economic cooperation across a broad range of
issues.”
The president also announced that Kosovo, a mainly Muslim
country that had not previously recognized Israel, would establish diplomatic
relations with the Jewish state soon and that Serbia is aiming to move its
Israeli embassy to Jerusalem, as the U.S. has done, by July 2021.
“It has taken tremendous bravery by President Vučić of
Serbia and Prime Minister Hoti of Kosovo to embark on these talks and to come
to Washington to finalize these commitments,” Trump said. “By doing so, they
have made their countries, the Balkans, and the world safer. I look forward to
seeing Serbia and Kosovo prosper as we work together on economic cooperation in
the region going forward.”
Vučić said the countries “haven’t resolved all our
problems, but this is a huge step forward.”
“This is a great
moment for the region,” Hoti said.
The agreement comes weeks after Trump announced a deal to
open up relations between the United Arab Emirates and Israel.
BRITTANY BERNSTEIN is
a news writer for National Review Online.
