Manxhuka: Serbia Has Never Broken Away from Milosevic’s Political Legacy

Arlind Manxhuka, spokesperson for the Government of Kosovo, stressed that official Serbia has never taken steps to distance itself from Slobodan Milosevic’s political line.

Speaking on the issue, Manxhuka noted that the troubling fact remains that the Serbian state has shown no sign of breaking away from that period. He added that the country is currently led by someone who served as a minister in Milosevic’s government, and that his stance toward Kosovo has not undergone any substantive change.

According to the spokesperson, such rhetoric also explains the statement by a Serbian minister, who said that if she were in Milosevic’s position, she would ethnically cleanse Kosovo.

In a Facebook post, Manxhuka went on to emphasize that although nearly 27 years have passed since the ethnic cleansing carried out by Milosevic’s regime, Serbia’s ruling elites have retained the same mentality, adapting it to the new context. He cited the case of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, who recently stated that Milan Radojcic is not a criminal, despite the latter having led the September 2023 terrorist attempt to annex northern Kosovo.

Manxhuka also drew attention to the situation in the Presevo Valley, where the Serbian administration is alleged to have been carrying out a silent ethnic cleansing of the Albanian population for years. He stressed that Kosovo is fully aware of the nature of its interlocutor, while calling on the international community, beyond condemning hate speech, to reflect deeply whenever it negotiates with Serbia on issues of integration, reforms and funding. According to him, such statements are not merely verbal incidents, but reflect real aspirations that the Serbian state has yet to abandon.