prijava
SARAJEVO, October 11 (FENA) - Protocol on Cooperation in the search for missing persons between the BiH Council of Ministers and the Government of Montenegro was signed today in Sarajevo by BiH Minister for Human Rights and Refugees Semiha Borovac and Minister of Labor and Social Welfare of Montenegro Kemal Purišić.
Minister Borovac said that signing this document only confirmed the commitment of the Council of Ministers of BiH and the Government of Montenegro to persist in cooperation in the search for missing persons between the two countries, and to express their strong desire in mitigating the consequences of the war in former Yugoslavia.
“At the same time, we affirm the right of families to find out the truth about their missing members. This is very important for both countries and contributes to creating reconciliation, confidence and stability in the region,” said Borovac.
She noted that signing of this Protocol affirms regional cooperation in the search for missing persons, since BiH has previously signed this type of protocols with the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Croatia.
Borovac said that BiH is looking for a total of 29 persons in the territory of Montenegro, and that 12 persons have been identified so far, of which 17 are still being searched.
She added that Montenegro is still searching for 10 missing persons in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“We expect full cooperation, full contribution in the search for remaining persons,” said Minister Borovac.
She noted that 31,500 missing persons were verified in BiH, and that 7,500 are still being sought.
Minister of Labor and Social Welfare of Montenegro Kemal Purišić said that after a long time "we have an institutional framework, an affirmed legal approach to cooperation that has been good so far and has provided certain results".
“Montenegro is making great efforts to finally put an end to these great temptations and legacies of the 1990s war in the search for missing persons, giving it space and attention. By signing this protocol, we are aware that this takes very important position on the government policy agenda,” Purišić stated.
He pointed out that this is generally the most important humanitarian issue, as it will help families of the missing persons to finally find the truth about their disappearance and try to find the remains.
He explained that the signed Protocol regulates cooperation procedures, exchange of information, actions of the competent state authorities of the two countries, provision of certain procedures for identification, exhumation of victims, transfer of remains to the family, etc.
“By signing this Protocol we want to make contribution and to put an end to these deep wounds and for families to finally find their peace, and to prove that we are committed to democracy,” said Purišić
He noted that Montenegro is searching for 52 people in the region, and 10 missing persons in BiH.
“We have information that one of ten people was found in BiH. These days we will identify this person and the Protocol will help us to do this in a way that has been agreed between the two countries,” said Purišić.
The signing of this protocol affirms BiH's cooperation with neighboring countries in the search for missing persons, since protocols of this type have already been signed with the Republic of Serbia (2016) and the Republic of Croatia (2018). In this way, the process of searching for missing persons in the region, which is of great importance for BiH, where more than 7,200 missing persons are still being searched, is facilitated in legal and technical terms.
(FENA) A. B.
