After the agreement between the Prime Minister of Kosova, Albin Kurti and the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic with the mediation of the EU, on the statement on the missing persons, the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Policy and Security, Josep Borrell, issued a communique for the media.

According to Borrell, the president of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic and the prime minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti have reaffirmed the importance of solving the fate of the still missing persons, to end the suffering for their loved ones and to promote reconciliation and lasting peace.

It is further emphasized that both sides have recognized the issue of missing persons as a humanitarian issue and have pointed out the urgent need for additional joint efforts to alleviate the situation of the affected families and the wider community.

“They have acknowledged the important work done through the Working Group on Missing Persons, chaired by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). As a sign of their joint determination to ensure the full implementation of their respective commitments in the field of Missing Persons, they have adopted the Declaration on Missing Persons,” the statement reads.

Borrell points out that Kurti and Vucic have also pledged to agree on operational details at the next meeting of the EU-mediated Dialogue for the Normalization of Relations, at the level of chief negotiators.

“Of the 6,065 cases of missing persons in the period January 1, 1998 – December 31, 2000, 1,621 remain unsolved. More than twenty years later, their families continue to live in grief, unaware of their loved ones’ whereabouts. “Families have the right to know the fate of their relatives, just like society in general,” the statement reads.

Borrell recalls that solving the issue of missing persons is not only a humanitarian obligation.

“It is also an essential opportunity for reconciliation and trust between people. It has become urgent to ensure that the process of identifying the burial places is completed as soon as possible,” he writes in this statement. According to him: “Memories are fading and individuals, places and events are harder to investigate.”

Borrell states that the EU welcomes the adoption of the declaration by the parties and expects the parties to make tangible progress in closing the outstanding cases of Missing Persons and fulfilling their respective obligations to the families.

The Joint Monitoring Committee chaired by the EU that oversees the implementation of the Agreement on the roadmap to normalization of relations between Kosova and Serbia and its Implementation Annex will regularly review the progress achieved.

/a.p./