The Croatian Minister of Veterans' Affairs, Tomo Medved, and the Director of the US Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Kelly McKeague, in Zagreb on Tuesday signed a memorandum of understanding on investigating, locating and transferring the remains of US military personnel gone missing in Croatia during World War II.

“I am confident that this memorandum will be a good basis for the further investigation of 61 sites and for the exchange of knowledge and experience in the search for missing persons,” Medved said, adding that Croatia already had similar agreements in place with Germany, Italy, and Slovenia.

The two countries began working on this issue in February 2017.

Finding those who have made the greatest sacrifice in battle is a value that the United States shares with Croatia. This is a search for answers that we can give to the families of those missing, which is a very humane goal, McKeague said.

The US is looking for 161 pilots who went missing in the territory of Croatia during WWII. Their families are grateful to Croatia for signing the memorandum, he added.

Croatia has already provided assistance in locating remains of the crew of a B-24J aircraft, know as the Tulsamerican, that crashed off the southern Adriatic island of Vis on its way from a combat mission in December 1944.

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