Kosovo, Serbia launch long-delayed search for war missing
Serbia and Kosovo have held the first meeting of their joint commission on missing persons, more than two years after it was announced, the European Union said Friday.
Of the 6,065 people who went missing during the 1998–99 war, about 1,600 cases remain unresolved, according to the EU’s diplomatic service.
The commission was established under the Declaration on Missing Persons agreed in May 2023 by Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, but little progress had been made until now. Its work will focus on cooperation in locating burial sites and sharing information.
According to AFP, the meeting took place late Thursday in Brussels, attended by Serbia’s chief negotiator Petar Petković, Kosovo’s chief negotiator Besnik Bislimi, and EU Special Representative Peter Sørensen.
Bislimi described the talks as “successful,” while Petković said the issue was “not political, but humanitarian,” pledging efforts to clarify the fate of all missing persons.
Relations between the two sides remain tense, with Serbia not recognizing Kosovo’s independence declared in 2008, though progress remains key to both countries’ EU ambitions.
