Macut: Serbia committed to further constructive cooperation with ICRC

BELGRADE - Serbian PM Djuro Macut met with International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia Ariane Bauer in Belgrade on Tuesday, noting that Serbia was committed to further constructive cooperation with the ICRC and to solving the issue of missing persons in the territory of the former Yugoslavia, which he noted required cooperation in the region.

"Macut emphasised that Serbia supports and appreciates the ICRC’s contribution to the protection of international humanitarian law, namely the protection of civilians, prisoners of war and other vulnerable categories," the Serbian government said in a statement.

"The interlocutors devoted particular attention to the issue of missing persons in the territory of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, and the Prime Minister noted that Serbia is committed to resolving this issue, which requires cooperation in the region.

Bauer, emphasising that 100 cases of missing persons were resolved in the previous year, stated that the fate of about 10,000 people remains unknown.

Also, Macut stressed that Serbia pays special attention to the implementation of programme activities and crisis response in the territory of Kosovo-Metohija.

He also pointed out the importance of the state’s cooperation with the Serbian Red Cross, which is marking 150 years of operations in February.

According to him, the Serbian Red Cross is an important partner in terms of caring for citizens, especially when it comes to the most vulnerable categories of the population," the statement also said.