Photo: President Donald Trump participates in a signing ceremony with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, seated left, and Kosovar Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti, seated right, in the Oval Office of the White House, Friday, Sept. 4, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Serbia and Kosovo have signed a historic deal, overseen by the Trump administration, that will normalise relations between the two countries after decades of strain.
The deal was signed by the leaders of the two nations, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and Kosovo'sKosovo's Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti, at the White House in Washington D.C.
Kosovo, while not internationally recognised as a sovereign state at the United Nations, broke away from Serbia after a brutal civil conflict in the late 90s that resulted in mass casualties and included episodes of ethnic cleansing, predominantly by Serbs against Kosovar Albanians. The conflict was brought to an end after the NATO bombing of Serbia that ultimately saw the downfall of Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic. Since then, peace-keeping troops have remained within Kosovo.
"Truly, it is historic. I look forward to going to both countries in the not too distant future."
While Serbia's Vučić, remarked:
"This is a great moment for the region. We haven'thaven't resolved all our problems, but this is a huge step forward."
As part of the deal, Kosovo will recognise Israel as a nation and Serbia will move its embassy from the Israeli capital Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The US itself moved its embassy to Jerusalem in 2018 amid widespread opposition. This is because Jerusalem in international law is regarded as a city belonging to both Israel and Palestine.
For this reason, the US has been accused of using this deal not for the benefit of Serbians and Kosovars but as a way of giving more support to Israel, which is the United States' staunchest ally.
Israel is currently being widely condemned for further incursion into Palestinian territory in the West Bank, in violation of international law. Many fear that the expansionist Israeli policy it is an attempt to wipe Palestine from the map entirely.
The agreement comes just a week after the US brokered a deal between the United Arab Emirates and Israel in order to normalise relations between those two countries. Israel only has normalised relations between Jordan and Egypt in the Arab world.
The original agreement between Serbia and Kosovo was meant to take place earlier this year but was suspended after Kosovo President Hashim Thaci, who would have otherwise led the Kosovo delegation, was indicted on war crimes charges by the international criminal court related to the Kosovan war and his part in the Kosovo Liberation Front (UCK).
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