Acting President of the Republic of Kosovo Albulena Haxhiu paid tribute at the Monument to Missing Persons, together with Acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Minister of Internal Affairs Xhelal Sveçla. The ceremony took place on the International Day of Persons Forcibly Disappeared during the last war in Kosovo.

In her statement, Haxhiu said that the fate of more than 1,500 people forcibly disappeared during the war remains unknown. She stressed that their families continue to wait, while for Kosovo this remains an unresolved issue until the last person is found.

“On this International Day of Persons Forcibly Disappeared during the last war in Kosovo, we stand with the families who have been waiting for answers about their loved ones for nearly three decades. More than 1,500 people forcibly disappeared have still not been found. The families’ wait continues and, for the Republic of Kosovo, this chapter will remain open until the last person is found,” Haxhiu declared.

She said that Kosovo’s institutions have not halted the search. According to her, during the past year, the remains of 30 people were discovered at 17 locations, while during the past month alone, remains belonging to at least 23 people were found in Kalludër and Jabukë in Zubin Potok.

“The search has continued without interruption. During the past year, the remains of 30 people were found at 17 locations. Meanwhile, during the past month, the remains of at least 23 people were discovered in Kalludër and Jabukë in Zubin Potok,” she said.

Haxhiu expressed gratitude to Kosovo’s institutions, praising the professionalism and care demonstrated during this sensitive process.

“I would like to thank the institutions of the Republic of Kosovo for the professionalism and dedication they have shown, particularly at these two locations, as well as at the last three locations. My thanks go to the Kosovo Police, the Prosecution, the Institute of Forensic Medicine, the Government Commission and everyone who has contributed to this sensitive process,” Haxhiu said.

The Acting President said that Serbia’s lack of cooperation remains one of the main obstacles. She reiterated her demand that Belgrade open its archives and called on international partners to exert pressure on this issue.

“The excavations show that the work is continuing, but they also highlight the major challenges linked to Serbia’s lack of cooperation. Despite our calls for Serbia to open its archives, this has still not happened. If the archives are opened, it will become known who issued the orders, who carried them out and where the bodies of the people who were killed and then buried are located. Therefore, once again I call on Serbia to open its archives, and we expect our international partners to exert pressure toward this goal,” Haxhiu said.

In conclusion, she promised that Kosovo’s institutions would continue their efforts until the fate of all missing persons is clarified.

“We will continue our work with maximum dedication until the last person is found,” Haxhiu concluded.

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Acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti said that uncovering the fate of people who went missing during the war in Kosovo requires the opening of files and archives in Belgrade. He said the international community should put pressure on Serbia to make public information that could help locate them.

Kurti spoke today, on the International Day of the Disappeared, after laying a wreath at the Monument to Missing Persons in Pristina. Acting President Albulena Haxhiu was also present at the ceremony.

He stressed that there is no more time to wait for classified files to be opened. Kurti thanked the ambassadors accredited to the Republic of Kosovo who took part in the ceremony and called on all international actors, particularly the European Union, to demand that Serbia open these documents.

The acting prime minister recalled that Serbia seeks membership in the European Union and receives hundreds and hundreds of millions in funds from it. He said excavations and field searches cost Kosovo a great deal, while the information received is often incomplete or inaccurate. For this reason, state institutions face difficulties and disappointment, as only a small number of bodies are still found after extensive searches.

According to Kurti, a large part of these operations around Kosovo could be avoided if the files were opened in Belgrade. He underscored that keeping them closed weighs not only on the families of the missing, but also on the state of Kosovo.

“Opening the files of our northern neighbor is vital to uncovering the truth, providing our loved ones with dignified burials and giving the families waiting in anguish the long-awaited answers. Such a step would also help strengthen overall peace in our region,” Kurti declared.

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UNMIK has stressed that the process of determining the fate of people who remain missing from the conflict in Kosovo must be carried out comprehensively, in line with human rights, with the victims and their families at the center.

On the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of UNMIK, Peter Due, said that, despite significant progress, many families still face pain and uncertainty over the fate of their relatives.

“The issue of missing persons must not be politicized under any circumstances. Significant results are achieved through cooperation, trust and a shared commitment to giving families the answers they are entitled to,” Due was quoted as saying in a statement.

According to UNMIK, more than 1,500 people have remained missing since the end of the conflict in Kosovo. The recent discovery of human remains in Zubin Potok, believed to belong to at least 23 individuals, shows that even after decades of waiting, information about their fate can come to light.

“We stand with all the families who have waited so long to learn the truth about the fate of their relatives, and we call for their rights and needs to guide these efforts. UNMIK will continue to provide psychological support and other forms of assistance to these families,” SRSG Due said.

He also stressed that this year’s International Day theme is “Victims First. Act Now.”

Due called for the full implementation of the EU Declaration on Missing Persons, continued engagement within the framework of the ICRC-led Working Group on Missing Persons, and intensified joint efforts between Belgrade and Pristina to locate and identify missing persons.

This year’s commemoration also marks the 20th anniversary of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, which was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 20, 2006.

UNMIK said it would continue to support the families of missing persons in their efforts to exercise their right to know the fate and whereabouts of their relatives, in accordance with international human rights standards.

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August 30 is observed as the International Day of the Disappeared.

After the end of the war in Kosovo in 1999, the number of missing persons stood at around 6,500.

Twenty-seven years after the end of the war, data from the Institute of Crimes Committed During the War in Kosovo show that 1,577 people continue to be listed as missing from the 1998–1999 war, KosovaPress reports.

To mark the day, Acting President Albulena Haxhiu will pay tribute at the Monument to Missing Persons in Pristina. The ceremony will begin at 9:30 a.m.

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Today marks the 84th protest against Edi Rama’s government. Citizens are expected to gather once again outside the Prime Minister’s Office, calling for their non-negotiable demand to be met: Rama’s resignation.

As on every other day, the gathering will begin in Skanderbeg Square before protesters march toward the Prime Minister’s Office, where for nearly three months they have voiced concerns over corruption, misgovernment, the government’s lack of transparency, and other issues.

A day earlier, citizens also called on SPAK to launch investigations into Rama over various scandals involving his government.

They are also demanding an investigation into the “Albanian Files,” a complaint they filed with SPAK several weeks ago.

The protests initially began in opposition to the Zvërnec project, but citizens’ demands later broadened to target the political establishment and Rama’s government.

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The Assembly of Kosovo has published the agenda for its constitutive session, scheduled to take place tomorrow starting at 10:00.

At the opening of the proceedings, according to an announcement by the Directorate for Media and Public Relations, a Temporary Committee for the Verification of the Quorum and the Mandates of the new MPs will be established.

Once the verification of mandates has been completed, the elected MPs will be sworn in. The proceedings are then expected to continue with the election of the speaker and deputy speakers of the Assembly.

The election of the Assembly’s deputy speakers requires a simple majority of votes.

It has not yet been announced whether another session will be convened to form the new government after the constitutive session concludes.

Meanwhile, the Vetëvendosje Movement (LVV) and the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) still have not reached an agreement on forming the new institutions.

Tuesday’s three-hour talks between LVV leader Albin Kurti and LDK leader Lumir Abdixhiku ended without an agreement on governing together. Despite this, the two leaders have not ruled out continuing the discussions.

Kurti has said he is interested in cooperating with the LDK “for accelerated progress.” Abdixhiku, meanwhile, has stated that the LDK’s objective is “institutional balance,” so that all key state positions are not concentrated in the hands of a single political party.

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