Kosovo and Serbia reached an agreement on Tuesday for the full implementation of the joint declaration on missing persons.
Andin Hoti, the head of Kosovo’s Government Commission for Missing Persons, said it was an important step, adding that Serbia, under pressure from the European Union, would provide the information it possesses regarding missing individuals.
He further explained that the first meeting of the joint commission will be held within the month and will be chaired by the EU.
“Since this is a completely humanitarian issue, I believe the European Union can intervene directly and more forcefully in this matter. The first meeting will be held within a month, and it will be chaired by the EU. I believe Serbia will not comply. This concern will be raised at higher levels, and then it will be reported to the 27 EU member states. I think through conditioning, Serbia will hand over the information it has,” he stated in an interview with Teve1.
He also noted that an apology from Serbia is not enough to address the crimes it has committed.
“Without Serbia’s acknowledgment of its crimes, I do not believe we will ever have normalized relations with Serbia. Not only acknowledgment but also the payment for the crimes it committed, as the material aspect of the crimes needs to be compensated, because the human aspect cannot be compensated, without an apology…” he added.
Kosovo and Serbia reached an agreement in 2023 on the Joint Declaration for Missing Persons, as part of the ongoing EU-facilitated dialogue aimed at normalizing their relations.
