by WorldTribune Staff, February 4, 2021
In a virtual ceremony on Monday, Israel and Kosovo officially established diplomatic ties.
The U.S. State Department praised the formal establishment of diplomatic relations between Israel and Muslim-majority Kosovo as a “historic day.”
State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters Tuesday: “Deeper international ties help promote stability, peace, and prosperity in both regions. When our partners are united, the United States is stronger. The United States will stand by Kosovo as it continues to move forward on its Euro-Atlantic path.”
The Israel-Kosovo peace deal was brokered last year by President Donald Trump. Trump has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for his work last year on the Abraham Accords, which led to peace deals between Israel and several Arab states.
Price noted that Secretary of State Anthony Blinken “has spoken to the Abraham Accords as something that was welcomed during the previous administration, something that indeed we hope to build on. The United States will continue to urge other countries to normalize relations with Israel, and we’ll look for other opportunities to expand cooperation among countries in the region.”
Asked whether officials should consider Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize for his work on the Abraham Accords, Price declined to respond.
Israel and Kosovo agreed to establish diplomatic ties during a White House summit in September, when predominantly Muslim Kosovo and Christian-majority Serbia also decided to normalize economic ties.
Serbia and Kosovo have also agreed to locate their Israeli embassies in Jerusalem, making them the first European nations to do so after Trump first recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
Kosovo is also expected to become the first Muslim-majority nation with an embassy in Jerusalem.
Intelligence Brief __________ Replace The Media