Trump lauds economic steps between Serbia and Kosovo

According to ALJAZEERA, an agreement between Serbia and Kosovo to work on economic ties, hailed by US President Donald Trump on Friday as a "major breakthrough," has reaffirmed pledges to establish highway and railway links but left movement on political normalisation on hold.

Both countries - part of the former Yugoslavia - agreed, for a year, to freeze campaigns advocating for and against normalising political ties, said US officials, who nevertheless lauded a handful of economic measures as significant progress in the relationship between the two sides.

Speaking in the Oval Office flanked by the two countries' leaders, Trump said Serbia had also committed to moving its embassy to Jerusalem, and Kosovo and Israel had agreed to normalise ties and establish diplomatic relations.

Serbian President Aleksander Vucic told reporters there were still many differences between Serbia and its former province, which declared independence in 2008, but said Friday's agreement marked a huge step forward.

He later told Serbian media that Serbia's agreement was with the United States, not Kosovo.

Kosovo Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti also welcomed the measures and said they should lead to mutual recognition between the two countries, the key issue dividing them.

"Serbia and Kosovo have each committed to economic normalisation," Trump said. "By focusing on job creation and economic growth, the two countries were able to reach a major breakthrough."

Political analysts called the agreement underwhelming and hazy, however.

"In my mind, this is more of a resumption of dialogue between the two sides. That's good for the region. But it's not like some massive, massive breakthrough," said Jasmin Mujanovic, a political scientist who specialises in Eastern Europe.