Serbia, Kosovo adopt declaration on missing persons

BELGRADE, Serbia

Serbia and Kosovo adopted a declaration on missing persons Tuesday at a meeting in Brussels.

The move came as Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti met in Belgium’s capital for the next round of dialogue for the normalization of relations between their countries.

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell's office said the two sides reaffirmed the importance of resolving the fate of the remaining missing persons from the 1998-99 war in Kosovo, bringing closure to their loved ones and fostering lasting reconciliation and peace.

The statement said that all categories of missing persons will be treated with equal priority and that missing persons are a humanitarian issue.

''Of the 6,065 cases of persons who have gone missing in the period January 1998 to December 2000, 1,621 remain unresolved. More than 20 years after, their families continue to live in grief, unaware of the whereabouts of their loved ones. Families have the right to know the fate of their relatives, as does society at large,'' said the statement.

Borrell said that resolving the issue of missing persons is not only a humanitarian obligation but also a crucial enabler for reconciliation and trust between people.

''This is why the EU welcomes the parties’ endorsement of the declaration and expects that the parties make tangible progress on bringing to a closure the outstanding cases of missing persons and on fulfilling their respective obligations towards the families,'' said the statement.

The operational details will be agreed upon in the EU-facilitated dialogue's next meeting on the normalization of relations.

The meeting was hosted by Borrell and Miroslav Lajcak, the EU's special representative for the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue.

Serbia and Kosovo reached an agreement on Feb. 27 to sign a proposal to normalize ties after a meeting in Brussels. The agreement came after 12 hours of talks between Vucic, Kurti and EU officials.

The parties agreed on how to implement the deal in the last round of talks on March 18 in North Macedonia.

The 11-point agreement demands that the sides maintain good neighborly relations and recognize each other’s documents such as passports and license plates.

Launched in 2011, the EU-led Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue aims to find a mutually agreeable solution for disputes in the framework of a legally binding agreement.

The EU requires Kosovo and Serbia to reach a final agreement and resolve disputes to progress in their integration into the bloc.

Most UN member states including the US, the UK, France, Germany and Türkiye recognized Kosovo as a separate country after it declared independence from Serbia 15 years ago. Serbia, however, continues to regard it as its territory.