The Chairman of Kosovo’s Government Commission on Missing Persons, Andin Hoti, has sent a letter to the European Union’s chief diplomat, Kaja Kallas, requesting concrete steps from her and the European bloc to compel Serbia to cooperate and open its state archives, including military, police, and intelligence records, in order to determine the whereabouts of those who went missing during the last war in Kosovo in 1998/99.

Through a post on Facebook, Hoti stated that the Kosovar delegation, in addition to the opening of the archives, has also requested full cooperation for “clarifying the role of paramilitary forces and Serbian collaborators, who, with the support of [Slobodan] Milošević’s regime, executed and disappeared thousands of Albanians,” as well as “accountability for Serbia’s continued refusal to provide information on known mass graves within its territory,” REL reports.

Hoti made this request to Kallas on the occasion of the 17th anniversary of Kosovo’s independence.

“Our independence was achieved through great sacrifices, and we cannot allow the victims of genocide to be forgotten or deny the families their right to know the truth. Serbia continues to deny its responsibility and sabotage efforts for justice by refusing to disclose information on the whereabouts of the missing,” Hoti stated, among other things.