Vuksanovic: The EU and the US can pressure Pristina to depoliticize the issue of missing persons

Slavisa Vuksanovic, a member of the Executive Board of the Association of Families of Kidnapped and Missing Persons from Kosovo and Metohija, stated that the EU and the US, through their institutions, can exert pressure on Pristina to depoliticize the process of searching for missing persons in Kosovo.

"I believe that the European community and the US, as the only ones responsible for the entire situation unfolding in Kosovo and Metohija, can use their relevant institutions and representatives to apply concrete pressure on Pristina to depoliticize the process of searching for missing persons in Kosovo and Metohija," Vuksanovic told Kosovo Online.

Commenting on the announcement by Peter Sorensen, the new EU mediator in the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, that the issue of missing persons will be at the top of his agenda, Vuksanovic said that Pristina must open its archives, particularly those related to former KLA members.

He emphasized that the Working Group in Belgrade has acted in accordance with all previously agreed commitments with Pristina and has submitted all requested documentation.

"Our association's position is that all archives should be opened, including those of domestic institutions and international organizations, without regard to nationality or religion. The status of victims should be equal and viewed through the lens of humanitarian law, as the process of locating missing persons and conducting exhumations is a humanitarian issue and should be treated as such, regardless of its current politicization in the dispute between Belgrade and Pristina," Vuksanovic stressed.

He is confident that a solution can be found to break the current "stagnation" in the process of exhumation and the search for missing persons in both Kosovo and Albania.

"We also insist on the implementation of all agreements and documents signed between Belgrade and Pristina, which have been confirmed by the European community. This is of great importance for ensuring families' right to truth, justice, reparations, and memorialization," Vuksanovic concluded.