Ambassador Petrovic: Israel’s recognition of Kosovo is still present in our discussions

The official visit of Israeli President Isaac Herzog on September 11 and 12 comes at a time when bilateral relations between Serbia and Israel are on an upward trend, covering almost all areas of cooperation, Serbian Ambassador to Israel Miroljub Petrovic told Kosovo Online. He added that this visit will give new momentum to the collaboration, and during it, a memorandum of cooperation is expected to be signed between the Serbian Chamber of Commerce and the Israeli Export Institute, as well as between the Federation of Israeli Chambers of Commerce and the Association of Israeli Industrial Manufacturers.

The ambassador noted that the visit is taking place under very challenging circumstances in the Middle East, as the conflict between Israel and Hamas has now been ongoing for twelve months, following the terrorist attack on October 7 last year, which the Republic of Serbia, as he pointed out, has strongly condemned.

"Since then, the Republic of Serbia has maintained a clear and principled stance condemning terrorism, advocating for a peaceful resolution of the conflict, and demanding the unconditional release of all individuals kidnapped on October 7. Among them is a dual citizen of Serbia and Israel, Alon Ohel, and we truly hope that he will be released soon and reunited with his family. In these circumstances, this visit is of great significance, both for the cooperation between Serbia and Israel and for the relationship between the Serbian and Jewish people," Petrovic said.

Israel's decision in 2020 to recognize Kosovo has impacted relations between the two countries, according to Ambassador Petrovic, but it remains a subject of ongoing discussion. He noted that there have been some inaccurate interpretations of certain events, especially from the Israeli side, regarding the circumstances under which Israel made the decision to recognize the unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo as part of some kind of agreement.

"Our job is to explain all the facts, to point out the circumstances that are still relevant today, and in the coming period, to work intensively to create conditions for a different perspective on this issue. The basic principle we follow, and we expect Israel to apply this principle in building bilateral relations, is the principle of mutual respect and respect for each other's national interests. For us, the priority national interest is the preservation of Serbia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and in this context, we expect Israel to take a clearer stance. We believe that the coming period will prove us right in this regard. In any case, the issue of Israel's recognition of the unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo is still present in our discussions, but it is not an obstacle to continuing and intensifying cooperation in other numerous areas of mutual interest," Petrovic said.

These areas include, he noted, the economy, high technology, artificial intelligence, and the IT sector.

"In the past, cooperation between Serbia and Israel has yielded significant results, especially in the economy. We have seen significant investments in renewable energy and real estate, and there is increasingly intensive cooperation in trade. This year, we have recorded significant growth, taking into account some changes in the Israeli market, the closing of cooperation with certain partners, and the opening of new opportunities. There is also a noticeable increase in interest from Israeli citizens in visiting Serbia as tourists, and in this context, we can expect additional flights between Tel Aviv and Belgrade starting from the winter flying season. With all of this in mind, cooperation will certainly continue to develop, and we see President Herzog's visit in this context," Petrovic explained.