EU warns Serbia over Al-Quds embassy move

The EU voiced “serious concern and regret” on Monday over Belgrade’s commitment to move its embassy in Israel to Al-Quds (Jerusalem), casting a shadow over the resumption of Serbia-Kosovo talks.

President Aleksandar Vucic of Serbia and Kosovo Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti are to meet in Brussels for a second round of EU-brokered face-to-face talks to resolve disputes two decades after clashing in war, AFP reported.

The meeting follows a high-profile summit at the White House where Vucic and Hoti signed statements agreeing to measures to improve economic relations – and in Serbia’s case, committing to moving its embassy from Tel Aviv to Al-Quds.

The EU is still committed to the so-called “two state solution” in which Al-Quds will be the capital of both Israel and a future Palestinian state, and its own diplomatic mission is in Tel Aviv.

The bloc expects prospective members like Serbia to align with its foreign policy positions.

“In this context, any diplomatic steps that could call into question the EU’s common position on Jerusalem are a matter of serious concern and regret,” EU foreign affairs spokesman Peter Stano told reporters in Brussels.

Breaking with longstanding diplomatic practice, President Donald Trump’s administration in December 2017 recognized Al-Quds as Israel’s capital and moved the US Embassy to the city.

The US move triggered global condemnations and protests.