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.
FIREPOWER: On top of the torpedoes, the military would procure Kestrel II anti-tank weapons systems to replace aging license-produced M72 LAW launchers Taiwan is to receive US-made Mark 48 torpedoes and training simulators over the next three years, following delays that hampered the navy’s operational readiness, the Ministry of National Defense’s latest budget proposal showed. The navy next year would acquire four training simulator systems for the torpedoes and take receipt of 14 torpedoes in 2027 and 10 torpedoes in 2028, the ministry said in its budget for the next fiscal year. The torpedoes would almost certainly be utilized in the navy’s two upgraded Chien Lung-class submarines and the indigenously developed Hai Kun, should the attack sub successfully reach operational status. US President Donald Trump
TPP RALLY: The clashes occurred near the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall on Saturday at a rally to mark the anniversary of a raid on former TPP chairman Ko Wen-je People who clashed with police at a Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) rally in Taipei on Saturday would be referred to prosecutors for investigation, said the Ministry of the Interior, which oversees the National Police Agency. Taipei police had collected evidence of obstruction of public officials and coercion by “disorderly” demonstrators, as well as contraventions of the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法), the ministry said in a statement on Sunday. It added that amid the “severe pushing and jostling” by some demonstrators, eight police officers were injured, including one who was sent to hospital after losing consciousness, allegedly due to heat stroke. The Taipei
NO LIVERPOOL TRIP: Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting, who won a gold medal in the boxing at the Paris Olympics, was embroiled in controversy about her gender at that event Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-ting (林郁婷) will not attend this year’s World Boxing Championships in Liverpool, England, due to a lack of response regarding her sex tests from the organizer, World Boxing. The national boxing association on Monday said that it had submitted all required tests to World Boxing, but had not received a response as of Monday, the departure day for the championships. It said the decision for Lin to skip the championships was made to protect its athletes, ensuring they would not travel to the UK without a guarantee of participation. Lin, who won a gold medal in the women’s 57kg boxing
The US has revoked Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s (TSMC, 台積電) authorization to freely ship essential gear to its main Chinese chipmaking base, potentially curtailing its production capabilities at that older-generation facility. American officials recently informed TSMC of their decision to end the Taiwanese chipmaker’s so-called validated end user (VEU) status for its Nanjing site. The action mirrors steps the US took to revoke VEU designations for China facilities owned by Samsung Electronics Co and SK Hynix Inc. The waivers are set to expire in about four months. “TSMC has received notification from the US Government that our VEU authorization for TSMC Nanjing
RSS