Serbian Minister of Public Administration and Local Self-Government Snezhana Paunović has not backed down from her positions, although her statements have sparked numerous reactions and been condemned by the European Union.
The debate over her comments regarding Kosovo continued after Paunović refused to apologise or distance herself from her assertion that, had she been in the position of former Serbian president Slobodan Milošević in 1998, she would have “ethnically cleansed Kosovo”. Instead, she attacked her critics, accusing them of “hatred toward Kosovo” and “internal betrayal”.
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In a response posted on Instagram, the Serbian minister again addressed Kosovo Albanians with a provocative statement, saying she would send them back to Albania, which she described as their country of origin.
Paunović wrote that she would not kill any of them, but would simply return them to “your country of origin, Albania”, adding that she believed they would accept them.
She has been backed by Serbia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister, Ivica Dačić. He described the criticism directed at the minister as “shameful and hypocritical”.
According to Dačić, those accusing Paunović of inciting ethnic cleansing did not react to what he described as the “ethnic cleansing of Serbs from Kosovo”, referring to the departure of Serbs from the country.
Analysts believe that the latest statements by senior Serbian officials demonstrate the continued presence of nationalism and approaches linked to the legacy of the 1990s in Serbia. According to them, this poses a risk to stability in the Balkans.
They believe that reactions solely at the diplomatic level are not enough. The European Union, they say, must take concrete steps against Belgrade by making support and the integration path conditional on respect for European values and a departure from language that justifies past crimes.
Analysts also stress the need for Kosovo and Albanians to remain united and vigilant, while the international community must take a firmer stance against any attempt to revive nationalist ideologies that have produced conflicts in the region.
Tahiraj: Serbian blueprints have never stopped; Albanians must preserve unity and vigilance
Activist Saim Tahiraj told “Bota sot” that Serbia’s chauvinist policy has, for more than a century, consistently pursued the drafting and implementation of plans against Albanians.
According to Tahiraj, the past shows that crimes and ethnic cleansing against Albanians have not been isolated cases, but part of an uninterrupted policy.
He said that Serbian plans have continuously been prepared and implemented, while ethnic cleansing and mass crimes against Albanians have not ceased. Tahiraj mentioned the expulsion of Albanians from the wider Toplica region and the most recent war in Kosovo, assessing that Serbia’s chauvinist policy carried out a series of violent campaigns with grave consequences for the Albanian people.
For more than a century, he said, Albanians have faced terror, massacres, ethnic cleansing and serious crimes, aimed at weakening and eliminating them from their lands on the Illyrian Peninsula. He said these aims were attempted several times but were not achieved, although Serbia had the support of Russia and some of its traditional allies in Europe.
Tahiraj assessed that the Albanian people remained undefeated during different historical periods and, even in circumstances when they were isolated, stood steadfast while paying a very high price for their freedom and survival.
He said that chauvinist statements against Albanians can still be heard in Serbian politics today, which, according to him, proves that this spirit has not ended.
According to Tahiraj, chauvinist rhetoric against Albanians unfortunately continues to exist. He assessed that the statements by Serbian representatives are not the first and may not be the last, so Albanians should not be surprised but should remain united and vigilant.
He added that Albanians are moving forward despite such provocations and statements. According to him, there are now two Albanian states that are growing stronger every day, as well as a powerful diaspora around the world, ready to help its homeland in every possible way.
Tahiraj stated that the words of Serbian chauvinists cannot obstruct the Albanian path and that their aim of ethnically cleansing Albanians has failed permanently.
He said that the 21st century should be a period of development, success and affirmation for Albanians. According to him, Serbian chauvinism cannot tolerate precisely these achievements, which is why such reactions are not accidental. Tahiraj concluded by saying that, regardless of how much opponents may speak, the caravan of Albanian successes continues to move powerfully forward.
Gashi: Serbian minister’s statement is an alarm signal for the Balkans; the EU must act
Political affairs expert Eduard Gashi told “Bota sot” that the Serbian minister’s stance is a serious signal for the region and shows that nationalist ideology remains present in Serbia.
Gashi said that Paunović being declared persona non grata by Kosovo’s institutions, as well as the public support she received from the leader of Serbia’s Socialist Party, Ivica Dačić, show that the rhetoric of the Milošević era has not disappeared.
According to him, Paunović’s statement that, if she were in Slobodan Milošević’s place, she would carry out “ethnic cleansing in Kosovo in 1998”, has raised a new alarm in the Balkans. Gashi said that Pristina’s immediate decision to declare her permanently persona non grata and the defence offered by Dačić demonstrate that the old nationalist currents in Belgrade have not faded away, but have merely hidden behind pragmatic diplomacy.
He assessed that when a government cabinet minister expresses no remorse for promoting ethnic cleansing and presents it as “part of the strategy” of Serbia’s Socialist Party, it cannot be considered an individual gaffe.
According to Gashi, the open support of Deputy Prime Minister and SPS leader Ivica Dačić for Paunović confirms that Milošević’s ideological legacy remains active in Serbian politics. He said that Dačić, who was once Milošević’s spokesman, uses this rhetoric to appease right-wing voters and test the limits of Western tolerance.
Gashi believes that this institutional support shows that the glorification of war crimes and revision of history are part of an organised state policy that coexists within the ruling coalition in Belgrade.
He also criticised the European Union’s response, stressing that declarative condemnations are not sufficiently valuable unless they are accompanied by concrete measures against Serbia.
Gashi said that the response of Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos was clear in principle, as she stated that there is no place in Europe for rhetoric that justifies, advocates or glorifies ethnic cleansing. However, according to him, Brussels continues to display the sluggishness that has characterised its foreign policy toward the Western Balkans.
According to him, as long as statements calling for genocidal violence are punished only verbally and bring no real political or financial consequences, Serbia will have no reason to change its behaviour. Gashi assessed that the EU policy of “coddling” Belgrade, on the grounds of distancing it from Russian influence, has not produced democratic stability and, on the contrary, is strengthening the sense of impunity.
He said that the EU has clear mechanisms to exert pressure on Belgrade, but stressed that they have not so far been used effectively.
Gashi raised the question of whether the time has come for European capitals to move from statements to action. He mentioned freezing pre-accession IPA funds, stressing that Serbia receives hundreds of millions of euros from the EU and that making these funds conditional on respect for European values would be the fastest and most effective measure.
As other measures, he mentioned suspending accession negotiations and not opening new chapters for a state whose government members publicly call for ethnic cleansing. Gashi also suggested targeted sanctions, including travel bans and the freezing of EU assets for officials such as Paunović and Dačić, saying this would send the message that crossing Europe’s red line carries personal costs.
In conclusion, Gashi stated that the “Paunović” case shows that the normalisation of relations between Kosovo and Serbia is blocked not only by technical issues, but also by Serbia’s lack of a deep reckoning with its criminal past. He warned that if the EU continues to act as a neutral spectator, it risks losing its credibility as a mediator and allowing the region to slide once again toward the dark scenarios of the 1990s.
