Serbia greenlights disputed real estate initiative connected to former President Trump
The Serbian legislative body has approved legislation that paves the way for a controversial real estate project overseen by former President Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner in Serbia's capital city.
Kushner's company Affinity Partners has aimed to build a premium hotel and residential project on the location of the previous Yugoslav Army headquarters.
The destroyed edifice, which was bombed by North Atlantic Treaty Organization troops in 1999 amid its intervention to stop Serbia's armed forces operation in Kosovo, holds symbolic value to some who consider it as a memorial and representation of continuing opposition to the defense organization.
The Serbian Head of State Aleksandar Vucic, who has maintained friendly relations with the former president, has endorsed the development despite public opposition and legal objections.
In the past year, the national authorities removed the property of its heritage designation and approved a 99-year rental agreement with the developer's company, which had presented blueprints for a $500m construction.
The decision provoked public gatherings and led to an probe into whether a national authority had forged documentation used throughout the procedure to modify the building's designation.
During a conversation earlier this year, Head of State Aleksandar Vucic supported the initiative, saying "it's important to overcome the burden from 1999".
He added: "We are prepared to establish stronger ties with the US – I think that is extremely significant for this state."
The stalled approval procedure came to a head on Friday when Vucic's political group – which holds a controlling in the legislature – pushed ahead with a designated ballot on developing the location and won.
Dissenting lawmakers have described the ruling against the constitution, including Aleksandar Jovanovic, who characterized it as a "violation", and declared the landmark would be substituted with "casinos and spas".
Simultaneously, liberal representative Marinika Tepic stated the government was compromising the state's past "to please Trump".
The passage of the law has furthermore been challenged by heritage specialists, and arrives subsequent to an anti-corruption group, an anti-corruption body, expressed worries about state-backed developments.
Per national news reports pre-dating his initial election bid, Trump in the past explored developing a hotel in Belgrade.
In March, the developer stated reporters he was not aware of his family member's claimed earlier involvement.
The determination to pave the path for the construction arrives as Vucic's cabinet seeks to preserve good connections with the two Washington and the Russian Federation.
The nation has been influenced by each of the former president's economic policies and sanctions on Moscow's investments in the country, encompassing on its single oil-refinery, the majority Russian-owned Nafna Industrika Srbije (NIS).
