Kosovo’s chief negotiator, Besnik Bislimi, announced that an agreement has been reached with Serbia on the functioning of the joint commission tasked with implementing the agreement on missing persons from the Kosovo war.
Following a new round of dialogue in Brussels, Bislimi stated that Kosovo and Serbian representatives will meet in the coming weeks to set initial priorities for the commission’s work.
The agreement came after several hours of separate meetings facilitated by the EU mediator, Peter Sorensen, with Bislimi and Serbia’s chief negotiator, Petar Petković. A joint session later formalized the agreement in the evening.
This dialogue round follows Sorensen’s visits to Prishtina and Belgrade last week and marks the first high-level meeting between the two countries this year.
The issue of missing persons was previously addressed in the 2023 Joint Declaration signed by Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, with a subsequent agreement in December 2024 to implement the declaration. A planned January meeting had been postponed due to Serbia’s refusal to participate over the closure of Serbian-supported offices in Kosovo.
Bislimi emphasized that the joint commission will now prioritize its initial tasks, marking a step forward in Kosovo–Serbia relations.
During his visit to Prishtina on January 14, Sorensen stated that he hopes 2026 will achieve what 2025 did not, aiming to facilitate high-level discussions and normalization of relations between the two neighboring countries.
The dialogue continues to face challenges, including Kosovo’s demand for the extradition of the suspected attacker Millan Radoičić, responsible for a September 2023 attack on Kosovo police in the Serb-majority north, and Serbia’s insistence on the creation of an association of Serb-majority municipalities in Kosovo.
Despite these hurdles, today’s agreement represents progress on establishing the joint commission and renewed efforts toward dialogue and reconciliation between Kosovo and Serbia.
