Prishtina, 29 August 2025
The Acting Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, together with the President of the country, Vjosa Osmani-Sadriu, the Speaker of the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo, Dimal Basha, members of the Government Commission for Missing Persons, and families of those forcibly disappeared during the war in Kosovo, paid tribute at the Monument of the Disappeared on the occasion of the International
Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances.
1,584 people from our country are still missing. Their fate must be clarified as soon as possible, and for this purpose, our state institutions are making every effort. Last year, investigations and searches were conducted at 23 different locations, while this year, 18 activities have taken place for investigation and the search for the remains of our loved ones who were killed by Serbia—not only exhumed but also had their bodies forcibly taken. On the other hand, excavations in Kozhle, Serbia, have not yet begun, and those in Batajnica near Belgrade have not resumed, even though two years have passed since we concluded both the Brussels Agreement and the corresponding Declaration on this matter. Denial of justice for the victims of our recent war is in fact preceded by the denial of crimes committed by Serbia, carried out by the official authorities in Belgrade, the Prime Minister stated.
He thanked our international partners and friends for their support in clarifying the fate of the missing and called on them to exert greater pressure on the authorities in Belgrade, as the truth lies in their archives and with their officials—truth that remains undisclosed—as well as responsibility for what happened to us as the victims of Serbia’s last genocide against the Albanian people of Kosovo.
Full Speech by Prime Minister Kurti:
On the eve of the International Day of the Disappeared, together with the President of the Republic and the Speaker of the Assembly, we bow before this monument near state institutions, dedicated to persons forcibly disappeared during the war and under Serbian occupation.
1,584 people from our country are still missing. Their fate must be clarified as soon as possible, and our state institutions are making every effort to achieve this.
Last year, we conducted investigations and searches at 23 different locations, while this year, 18 activities have been carried out to investigate and search for the remains of our loved ones who were killed by Serbia—not only exhumed but also forcibly taken. Excavations in Kozhle, Serbia, have not yet begun, and those in Batajnica near Belgrade have not resumed, despite the two years since the Brussels Agreement and the corresponding Declaration were adopted regarding this issue.
Denial of justice for the victims of our recent war is in fact preceded by the denial of crimes committed by Serbia, carried out by the official authorities in Belgrade.
Therefore, on the one hand, we thank our international partners and friends for their support in clarifying the fate of the missing, both in terms of professional assistance and technological support. At the same time, we call on them to exert greater pressure on the authorities in Belgrade, as the truth lies in their archives and with their officials—truth that remains undisclosed—as well as responsibility for what happened to us as the victims of Serbia’s last genocide against the Albanian people of Kosovo.
