Odalovic: Kurti is trying to hide that Pristina has done nothing regarding the issue of the missing by making irresponsible statements

President of the Commission for Missing Persons, Veljko Odalovic, responded to today's statement by Kosovo's Prime Minister Albin Kurti, made ahead of the International Day of the Disappeared, in which Kurti demanded the opening of Serbian archives to shed light on the fate of the missing. Odalovic pointed out that the Kosovo Prime Minister has lost credibility on this issue, as he has turned it into a political matter, shifting the responsibility solely onto the Serbian side to hide the fact that Pristina has done nothing.

Odalovic emphasized that Kurti has never mentioned that Serbia handed over 2,417 documents from its archives to the Pristina delegation through the International Committee of the Red Cross, and that more than a hundred Albanians have been handed over to their families.

"We provided them with our sketches, maps, and the locations where people were buried after the conflict, which he does not mention because it does not suit him. If he acknowledged this, it would become transparent that he has not provided anything. We have not received any information from the Pristina side, and for years, we have not been present at any location they were supposed to investigate based on our requests," Odalovic told Kosovo Online.

He believes that Kurti's irresponsible statements only further complicate a painful issue for both Serbian and Albanian families.

"Today, Albin Kurti said nothing new. His attempt to shift the responsibility onto Serbia and our institutions is unfortunately something that has been going on for years, and unfortunately, no one from those who should be addressing this issue has reacted. With such statements, on this and other issues, he contributes nothing to resolving any problem. These statements only further complicate things and mix up certain issues," Odalovic said to Kosovo Online.

He highlighted that everything Kurti spoke about today has no connection to the factual situation.

According to him, it is Pristina, led by Kurti, that is obstructing the entire process of finding missing persons.

"He has blocked the process in Brussels and is unwilling to sit down and discuss the topics he mentioned today. Today, he commented arbitrarily and told a story that is, in reality, empty. The fact is that we are trying to keep the process of finding missing persons alive, and within the dialogue with Pristina, we are trying to keep the Working Group functioning because that is, after all," Odalovic pointed out.

Kurti, he notes, has clearly forgotten that in the Declaration in Ohrid, which he agreed upon with President Aleksandar Vucic, he accepted that the Working Group is the only mechanism for the process of finding missing persons.

Serbia, he says, respecting its obligations from the agreements, has continued with its activities.

He pointed out that an investigation is currently underway at a location in Serbia, in the village of Kozlje near Novi Pazar, involving all parties - the families of both Serbs and Albanians, Kosovo institutions, and the international community.

"Yesterday, regarding what Albin Kurti mentioned, we invited representatives of the families of both Albanians and Serbs, representatives of the provisional institutions, members of the Working Group, as well as representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross, EULEX, and experts together to a location. This location is potentially a site where bodies are buried, and we invited everyone to search together. This is an entirely responsible and transparent way of working, just as we have done so far," Odalovic emphasized.

He recalled that both sides agreed in Geneva to search specific locations in Serbia at Pristina's request, and vice versa, for the Kosovo side to respond positively to Serbian requests.

Pristina has been invited to all locations in Serbia to participate in investigations into the fate of the missing, to provide suggestions, but in no way can they do the job instead of Serbia, Odalovic notes.

"We are acting responsibly towards the requests of the families of Kosovo Albanians because the information they obtained during Working Group meetings indicated that there is a location in Serbia that could potentially be the site of a relocated grave, as they had such knowledge. We want to verify what information we have together. The location is very challenging and complex. We have created access roads, which required extraordinary effort. Now we will continue the action to the end," Odalovic stated.

On the other hand, he noted that Pristina has continuously ignored Serbia's requests and the Working Group, which is part of the agreed Declaration on Missing Persons from Ohrid.

He added that Serbia proposed in Geneva the formation of a special body comprising representatives from Pristina, Belgrade, and the International Committee of the Red Cross, which would work on searching archives for specific situations and events based on requests from one side or the other.

"Albin Kurti forgets one thing. His rhetoric about criminals and investigations has nothing to do with the mandate of the Commission for Missing Persons. The Commission for Missing Persons does not have an investigative function; it verifies information, and that's all. We want to use all the information anyone wants to share with us if it helps in finding missing persons," Odalovic explained.

Odalovic also pointed out that Kurti exerted pressure to rename the KLA archives as "domestic archives," emphasizing that these documents should be investigated to determine who is responsible for the crimes against Serbs.

Kurti, he emphasized, has never mentioned a single Serbian victim, nor has he addressed the crimes committed by the KLA, or called for those responsible for those crimes to be held accountable.

According to Odalovic, the Kosovo Prime Minister overlooked the fact that out of the 1,600 missing persons, a third are Serbs.

"He has clearly lost credibility to speak on this topic because he is not approaching the search for missing persons in a humane and civilized manner. Instead, he has turned it into a political issue, solely accusing Serbia and demanding that we open general archives that have nothing to do with the search for missing persons," Odalovic concluded.

He urged Kurti to return to normal procedures and the mechanism for searching for the missing, and not to use this issue for political purposes.

"The International Day of the Disappeared is a day when we speak with reverence about all victims, and when we must treat all victims equally. It doesn't matter whether the mother is Albanian or Serbian who lost her son; both are searching for their loved ones, and we should have a serious approach to these issues," Odalovic stated.