BERLIN — Serbia and Kosovo agreed on Monday to restore flights between their capitals for the first time in more than two decades, in a step toward reconciliation brokered by the United States at a time when the European Union is urging the two Balkan countries to resume talks. The deal will open passenger and cargo flights between Belgrade and Pristina by the German-owned carrier Eurowings. It came after months of intense shuttle diplomacy by Richard Grenell, the United States ambassador to Germany, who was named special envoy for Serbia-Kosovo relations by President Trump last year. “What we heard from the business community in Kosovo and from the business community in Serbia is we want a more normalized commerce structure and we need a flight,” Mr. Grenell said. “It’s the reason why we went after trying to figure out how do we make a direct flight for the first time in a generation.”

Source: New York Times January 20, 2020 18:00 UTC