Serbia Allowed to Control Airspace for First Time in 16 Years

Serbia will now be able to control its southern regions with radar for the first time in sixteen years, Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic said in Belgrade Friday after meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

“We have not had Vranje and Leskovac on our radars for 16 years, but now I am quite confident that with installing those radars and with new agreements we will have much better police and military protection of our airspace, which is vital for preparing the defense and sovereignty of Serbia’s territory,” Vucic said during a joint news conference with the visiting NATO chief, Tanjug news agency reported.

Jens Stoltenberg said that KFOR had lifted its 16-year airspace restrictions over a 25 km zone stretching into central Serbia from the ‘administrative line’ with Kosovo, adding that NATO respected Serbia’s neutrality policy.

Stoltenberg arrived in Serbia on Thursday for a two-day visit for consultations with Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic and Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic.

The air security zone was established shortly after the NATO airstrikes against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia that lasted for 78 days and ended on June 10, 1999.

According to different estimates, between 1,200 and 2,500 were killed in the attacks. Almost 13,000 were injured. The material damage is estimated at between $30 billion and $100 billion.