The Serbian government approves controversial development project connected to former President Trump
The Serbian legislative body has enacted a law that paves the way for a disputed development initiative spearheaded by former President Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner in the capital.
Kushner's company Affinity Partners has planned to develop a high-end hotel and apartment project on the site of the former Yugoslav Army main office.
The damaged building, which was targeted by NATO military units in 1999 throughout its campaign to stop the Serbian armed forces actions in Kosovo, holds symbolic meaning to certain groups who consider it as a monument and emblem of continuing objection to the international coalition.
Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic, who has pursued strong ties with Trump, has backed the plans despite public opposition and legal disputes.
Last year, the Serbian administration revoked the structure of its conservation designation and authorized a long-term rental agreement with Kushner's firm, which had proposed blueprints for a $500m development.
The decision sparked protests and initiated an inquiry into whether a Serbian official had falsified documentation utilized in the method to alter the structure's designation.
During a discussion in June, President Aleksandar Vucic defended the proposal, stating "it's important to move past the legacy from 1999".
He added: "We are prepared to establish stronger ties with the US – I consider that is extremely significant for this state."
The delayed approval procedure reached a climax recently when Vucic's party – which has a controlling in the assembly – proceeded with a specific vote on preparing the location and succeeded.
Opposition representatives have labelled the decision against the constitution, including Aleksandar Jovanovic, who termed it as a "crime", and declared the landmark would be exchanged with "gambling venues and hot tubs".
Simultaneously, progressive parliament member Marinika Tepic remarked the authorities was sacrificing the state's past "to appease the former president".
The passage of the law has additionally been criticised by architectural specialists, and follows subsequent to Transparency Serbia, an anti-corruption body, raised apprehensions about publicly-endorsed developments.
Per local media accounts before his first presidential run, Trump in the past considered building a hotel in Belgrade.
Last March, the developer told journalists he was uninformed of his father-in-law's claimed past consideration.
The resolution to enable progress for the project arrives as the president's government aims to preserve positive relations with each of America and the Russian Federation.
The country has been influenced by each of the former president's tariffs and sanctions on Moscow's interests in the nation, encompassing on its only fuel processing plant, the primarily Russian-owned Nafna Industrika Srbije (NIS).