Kosovo officially opened its embassy in Jerusalem, recognizing it as the capital of Israel

Kosovo officially opened its embassy in Jerusalem on Sunday after becoming the first Muslim-majority territory to recognize the city as the capital of Israel.

The measure was in exchange for recognition of Kosovo by Israel, a major victory for Pristina’s efforts to achieve full global recognition of the independence it declared in 2008 after a war with Serbia in the 1990s.

The new embassy was inaugurated in a short ceremony in which the Kosovo flag was hoisted in front of the Jerusalem building, The Kosovo Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Serbia refused to recognize the independence of its former province, So while Kosovo is now recognized by much of the Western world, his rejection by Belgrade’s main allies, Russia and China, excluded him from the United Nations.

Israel had been another major obstacle until last month, when established diplomatic relations with Kosovo.

In return, Kosovo followed former US President Donald Trump’s lead by recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish state.

Trump had discussed the Israel-Kosovo deal in Washington during economic negotiations with Serbia and Kosovo in September.

Kosovo’s decision has drawn criticism, especially from Muslim-majority countries such as turkey, who renewed his criticism on Sunday.

“We call on the leaders of Kosovo to listen to the voice of common sense and to renounce this irresponsible and illegal initiative”, The Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The status of Jerusalem remains one of the biggest sources of conflict in the protracted Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Palestinians claim East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state, and most countries have their embassies in Tel Aviv.

In one of the most intractable disputes in Europe, Serbia has rejected Kosovo’s independence since it erupted in a 1998-99 war which only ended with a NATO bombing campaign against Serbian troops.

Kosovo and Serbia face increasing pressure from the West to break the deadlock, which is seen as crucial for either party to join the European Union.

More than 13,000 people died in the war, mainly Kosovar Albanians, who form the majority in the former province.

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