Kosovo Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti has welcomed a suggestion to rename Ujman Lake after US President Donald Trump. The suggestion was jokingly expressed by US envoy for Kosovo-Serbia dialogue Richard Grenell during a trilateral meeting before economic normalization pledges were signed by the two countries in the Oval Office on September 4.
I welcomed Ambassador Grenell’s proposal that Lake Ujman be renamed President Trump Lake, in honor of his extraordinary role in reaching a historic agreement to normalize economic relations between the Republic of Kosovo and Serbia, as a major step towards the final political agreement, which should result in mutual recognition,” Hoti tweeted on Thursday.
Ujman Lake (Gazivoda Lake in Serbian) is located in Kosovo, with a small part extending into Serbia. It is the main source of water for Kosovo.
Grenell has stated after September 4 that, when the Kosovo and Serbia delegations would not agree on the lake name to be used in the agreement text, he had “jokingly” suggested they use the name “Lake Trump”.
It’s not clear if Grenell has later made a formal proposal to Hoti, which the latter has welcomed tonight.
What to call the lake that is in Kosovo and Serbia has been a serious sticking point despite the U.S. forged compromise to launch a feasibility study to create jobs and more energy for the region….so both sides have agreed to a new name: Lake Trump. https://t.co/AgeDNZ4aBd
— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) September 24, 2020
On Thursday, a banner reading “Lake Trump” was seen on the Ujman Lake dam. A Kosovo media picked the story in English, which was shared on Twitter by Grenell, followed by Hoti’s statement that he welcomes the name suggestion.
The prime minister added that Kosovo has named several squares after American personalities, including Presidents Clinton and Bush, Senator Bob Dole, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, in honor of their role in Kosovo’s freedom and independence from Serbia. Hoti stressed that Kosovo citizens will be “eternally grateful” to the USA.
“It is our tradition and culture to honor the Friend! This noble tradition of our ancestors, we will always preserve and cultivate!” he stated.
