Serbia and breakaway Kosovo have restored direct flights between their capitals, after they were stopped during a bloody conflict two decades ago.
The re-established air link between Serbia’s capital Belgrade and Kosovo’s capital Pristina will be operated by Lufthansa’s low-cost carrier, Eurowings. Both sides thanked the US for brokering the deal, which was signed in Berlin on Monday.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said that Belgrade is “ready to pursue more such initiatives, bringing people in the Balkans closer together.”
The leader of Kosovo, Hashim Thaci, hailed the agreement as “an important step for the movement of citizens & normalization process.”
Direct flights, which take just 25 minutes, were suspended after the 1998-1999 war in Kosovo, which broke away from Serbia and ultimately declared independence in 2008. Serbia still considers the region its territory.
