Serbia's legislative body has enacted a law that clears the path for a controversial property initiative spearheaded by US President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner in the capital.
His firm Affinity Partners has planned to construct a luxury hospitality venue and housing project on the site of the previous Yugoslav Army central command.
The damaged edifice, which was bombed by NATO military units in 1999 during its intervention to stop the Serbian military operation in Kosovo, holds symbolic importance to some who see it as a memorial and emblem of continuing resistance to the military alliance.
Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic, who has maintained close ties with Trump, has endorsed the plans despite public opposition and legal disputes.
Previously, the Serbian administration stripped the structure of its conservation classification and authorized a extended rental agreement with Kushner's firm, which had proposed designs for a half-billion dollar project.
The decision provoked public gatherings and led to an inquiry into whether a Serbian authority had forged papers used during the method to change the building's status.
Through a conversation recently, President Aleksandar Vucic defended the plan, remarking "it's crucial to transcend the burden from 1999".
He added: "We are prepared to build better relations with the United States – I consider that is exceptionally crucial for this nation."
The delayed approval procedure came to a head recently when the president's faction – which has a controlling in parliament – moved forward with a specific ballot on clearing the site and won.
Dissenting representatives have described the decision illegal, among them Aleksandar Jovanovic, who characterized it as a "violation", and asserted the historic site would be exchanged with "casinos and spas".
Simultaneously, progressive parliament member Marinika Tepic stated the authorities was compromising the state's past "to please Trump".
The passage of the bill has also been criticised by architectural specialists, and follows after Transparency Serbia, an transparency organisation, expressed worries about government-supported projects.
According to local media coverage pre-dating his initial election campaign, the former president in the past contemplated building a hotel in Belgrade.
Last March, the developer stated reporters he was not aware of his family member's alleged previous interest.
The determination to pave the path for the construction comes as Vucic's cabinet seeks to sustain good ties with each of America and the Russian Federation.
The country has been affected by each of Trump's trade measures and sanctions on the Russian Federation's investments in the state, encompassing on its sole petroleum facility, the mainly Russian Federation-held Nafna Industrika Srbije (NIS).
