The President of Kosovo has called on Serbia to apologize for referring to the “crimes committed against humanity” nearly 20 years ago as a condition for peaceful bilateral ties, reports AP.

President Hashim Tachi visited the Rachak village to participate in the World Human Rights Day event.

In 1999, 45 ethnic Albanians were killed by Serbian forces following mass killings in Rachak, and this became a key factor for NATO air operations against Serbia to put an end to the 1998-99 war.

At the time, the Serbian government had declared that all the victims were insurgents of the liberation army of Kosovo killed by state security forces, and Serbia still claims that the statements about the massacres in Rachak are phony. Tachi has declared that “it will be possible to build the future only when the Serbian government acknowledges its responsibility and apologizes for the crimes committed in Kosovo”.