The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Donika Gervalla, in an interview for the Israeli television i24news has promised that Kosovo will not move its embassy from Jerusalem even if Palestine recognizes Kosovo’s independence.
Chief diplomat Gervalla spoke about the establishment of state relations between Kosovo and Israel and the opening of the Kosovo embassy in Israel.
She said that they kept the promise given in Washington by the Hoti government that the embassy should be opened in Jerusalem and not in Tel Aviv where most of the embassies of the countries of the world are located.
“We make our own decisions about where to open our embassy and it was a promise and commitment of the previous government in Washington that we will open our embassy in Jerusalem and we have kept our promise, others have promised the same but I do not see them “around here so we keep our promises because we are internationally reliable partners”, said Gervalla.
Asked whether Kosovo would move the embassy outside Jerusalem if Palestine recognizes Kosovo’s independence, Gervalla said he did not see the embassy moving or recognizing Palestine.
“I do not see this and I do not even see the recognition as far as I can judge now, but we are interested in having good relations with Palestine as well, and we have contacts but Kosovo does not tell partners that if you want to have good relations “Good with Kosovo, you have to have bad relations with Serbia,” she said.
In February last year, in a virtual ceremony, the acting Minister of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora of Kosovo, Meliza Haradinaj-Stublla, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Israel, Gabriel Ashkenazi, signed a document stating that the two countries establish diplomatic relations, with the aim of to increase cooperation in many areas.
Mutual recognition between Kosovo and Israel is part of the Washington agreement of September 4, 2020, which deals with the normalization of economic relations between Kosovo and Serbia. Kosovo has also pledged to open its diplomatic mission in Jerusalem, while Serbia has pledged to relocate its existing embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
