EU Threatens Kosovo Over Plan To Open Jerusalem Embassy
02/02/2021
The threat emanated from Brussels barely a day after Kosovo and Israel finalized diplomatic relations — over Zoom due to the coronavirus pandemic — and the latter’s Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi, confirmed that he had received and accepted a petition from Pristina to open the diplomatic mission in Jerusalem.
Peter Stano, the EU’s lead spokesperson for external affairs, reminded the Kosovans that every other EU country has its embassy located in Tel Aviv — and this is in line with Security Council Resolution 478, which calls for all UN members to do likewise, reported outlet Israel Hayom.
Stano added that the EU has a commitment to a two-state resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through dialogue “and to find a way to resolve the status of Jerusalem as the capital of the two resultant states.”
He added that he expected Kosovo to abide by the EU position, warning that not doing so could endanger the Balkan state’s accession to the bloc.
Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hami Aksoy maintained that Kosovo’s decision to establish an embassy in Jerusalem was a transgression of international law, although this could be read as a somewhat transparent move from one of the region’s most populous Muslim states, which has also recently sought accession to the EU.
Read More: Algemeiner