Prime Ministers Sali Berisha and Hashim Thaci officially launched Sunday the tunnel linking Albania and Kosovo.

The highway starting from the Adriatic Coast and up to the Kosovo border is also the gateway of Kosovo to the sea and it is expected that it will boost Kosovo'w economy and indirectly also attract investors.

The last meters of the tunnel were opened by the Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha, who tore down the symbolic wall standing in the middle of the tunnel, followed by a meeting with Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci, who was waiting on the other side.

Kalimash Tunnel, one of the biggest sections of Rreshen-Kalimash Motorway that Bechtel-ENKA JV is constructing has been opened with a ceremony with the attendance of the Prime Minister of Albania, Mr. Sali Berisa.

The tunnel is 6 km in length and is located on the 57th km of the Motorway which shall be on operation in 2009 and shall decrease the traveling duration form Albania to Kosovo from 6 to 2.5 hours.

It is one of the most important projects in the Balkans due to its strategic importance in connecting Albania to Macedonia and to the Trans-Europe Network.

"Today one of the greatest dreams of Albanians has become a reality. This is a tunnel of a united nation. Today we decided that there are no obstacles, nothing that can separate us, not only in the spiritual sense but also physically," Berisha said at a joint press conference held with Thaci. He called the highway an "Albanian masterpiece" which will be beneficial for the entire region.

Thaci said that the highway is "a road of hope and integration." "It is a highway of hope, trust, peace, stability, and integration for the entire region. It is the road of a new century," Thaci said. "Tirana and Pristina are closer to each other than ever before and that is how it will remain. The main element of this spiritual, moral and physical closeness is Kosovo's independence," he added.

The work on the highway is being carried out by the well-known American company Bechtel Enka, and it will cost Albania EUR1 billion.