Kosovo, Israel to establish diplomatic ties on Feb. 1
Kosovo’s Foreign Minister Meliza Haradinaj-Stublla says her country will establish formal diplomatic relations with the regime of Israel next week.
In a statement released on Friday, Haradinaj-Stublla announced that she will hold a virtual signing ceremony with her Israeli counterpart, Gabi Ashkenazi, on February 1 after a deal brokered by the US last year.
“Recognition by Israel is one of the greatest achievements for Kosovo, coming at a key moment for us, thanks to the United States of America, our common and eternal ally,” she said.
“It is a perpetuation of the long friendship between our peoples.”
Muslim-majority Kosovo and the occupying Israeli regime recognized each other in September 2020 at a summit of Kosovo-Serbia leaders at the White House in the presence of then US president Donald Trump.
At that time, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Tel Aviv and Pristina had agreed to forge diplomatic ties and that Kosovo, along with Serbia, would open embassies in the occupied al-Quds.
Kosovo’s President Hashim Thaçi described the announcement as “the genuine intention to recognize Kosovo and establish diplomatic relations.”
During the final months of Trump’s presidency, Israel also normalized ties with four Arab countries, including the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco.
Palestinians have condemned the “peace pacts” as act of treason and a stab in the back in their struggle against the Israeli occupation.
source: parstoday.com