Former foes Kosovo and Serbia on Friday agreed to normalize economic relations in a deal brokered by the US, which US President Donald Trump’s administration touted as a major diplomatic success.
The two sides signed a statement in the White House Oval Office committing to a raft of measures to improve transport infrastructure and border crossings, cut trade tariffs, and share energy and water resources, as well as to implement earlier agreements on opening highway and rail links.
They also agreed to improve their relations with Israel. Serbia would move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, while Kosovo, a majority Muslim country, would formally recognize the Jewish state.
Photo: Reuters
In turn, Kosovo, which declared independence from Serbia in 2008, gained formal recognition from Israel.
“A truly historic day,” Trump said, with Kosovar Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic sitting beside him in the Oval Office. “By focusing on job creation and economic growth, the two countries were able to reach a real breakthrough on economic cooperation across a broad range of issues.”
Trump praised US Special Presidential Envoy for Serbia and Kosovo Peace Negotiations Richard Grenell for bringing the two sides together, two decades after they fought a war that left 13,000 dead.
Photo: Reuters
“It took decades because you didn’t have anybody trying to get it done,” Trump said of the agreement.
“There was a lot of fighting and now there’s a lot of love,” he said. “Economics can bring people together.”
Because they do not formally recognize each other, the two sides appeared to sign parallel statements of intent rather than a formal bilateral agreement, but a Trump administration official stressed that it was a pact between the two sides.
“They have normalized their economic relations,” US National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien said. “The Serbia-Kosovo conflict has gone on for decades. They have been stuck, unable to move forward for many, many years.”
Hoti said that the deal was “a big step” toward the two sides granting each other formal diplomatic recognition.
Serbia has refused to recognize its former territory since Kosovo declared independence.
Although many countries, including the US and European powers, recognize both, Serbian allies China and Russia have withheld their endorsement of the Kosovo state, preventing it from joining the UN.
However, Vucic said that the Serbians had struck a bilateral agreement “with the US,” so that no recognition was given to “third party” Kosovo.
“We will have a common market, no more surprises with the tariffs,” he added.
The agreements include significant help in economic and infrastructure projects from the US Export Import Bank and the International Development Finance Corp.
Hoti put the value of the US support at more than 1 billion euros (US$1.18 billion).
“There is a clear commitment from President Trump and his administration that all these projects begin to be implemented within a year,” Hoti said.
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
CROSS-STRAIT: The vast majority of Taiwanese support maintaining the ‘status quo,’ while concern is rising about Beijing’s influence operations More than eight out of 10 Taiwanese reject Beijing’s “one country, two systems” framework for cross-strait relations, according to a survey released by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday. The MAC’s latest quarterly survey found that 84.4 percent of respondents opposed Beijing’s “one country, two systems” formula for handling cross-strait relations — a figure consistent with past polling. Over the past three years, opposition to the framework has remained high, ranging from a low of 83.6 percent in April 2023 to a peak of 89.6 percent in April last year. In the most recent poll, 82.5 percent also rejected China’s
RSS