Turkey condemned Kosovo’s opening of an embassy in Jerusalem, labelling it as an “irresponsible and illegal step”, the foreign ministry said in a statement published on Sunday.
Kosovo should reverse its decision, which violates the parameters of the peace process and United Nations resolutions on the status of Jerusalem, the ministry said.
Kosovo opened its embassy in Jerusalem on Sunday, becoming the first majority Muslim nation to do so, following the establishment of diplomatic relations with Israel in February. In September, a U.S. brokered agreement to normalise economic ties between Serbia and Kosovo included the mutual recognition of Israel and Kosovo.
Palestinians see East Jerusalem, which Israel has occupied since 1967, as their future capital and reject any peace settlement that would exclude that provision.
While most countries have their Israel embassies in Tel Aviv, former U.S. President Donald Trump recognised Jerusalem as the capital in December 2017 and moved the U.S. embassy there in May the following year. Turkey, which sponsors several Palestinian groups in the city and provides humanitarian aid through non-government organisations, expressed outrage at the U.S. decision.
Ahval