The recent statements by Serbian minister Snezhana Paunovic have provoked strong reactions in Kosovo.
According to professor Muhamet Kelmendi, these statements prove the unchanged continuity of official Belgrade’s policy towards Kosovo, therefore he calls for tougher institutional actions, both diplomatically and in increasing the country’s defense capabilities.
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Kelmendi sees the declaration of Paunovic as persona non grata as a right gesture, but not complete. He emphasizes the need for Kosovo to deny entry to President Aleksandar Vucic and Minister Ivica Dacic as well, adding that legal measures should be considered against Serbian officials who, according to him, spread hatred and threats.
The professor links the figure of Paunovic with Serbian ultranationalist circles, which he considers based on revanchist ideology and responsible for four wars and conflicts in the Balkans. He assesses that such messages embody the stance of the Serbian state itself, recalling also Dacic’s earlier statement, whom he calls racist, that whoever is not Serb should go to Albania.
Kelmendi underlines that no major political force in Serbia, whether in government or opposition, expresses views different from the aim to bring Kosovo back under control and to Serbianize the Dardanian territory. In this light, he describes the non grata declaration of Paunovic as an initial step, but insists that the Kosovo government must directly hit the Serbian executive itself and President Vucic, by banning their entry and initiating legal proceedings for inciting racial hatred.
The latest statements, according to him, show that Serbia has not evolved in its approach towards its western neighbor. He calls on official Tirana, the European Union, and the United States of America to react, while emphasizing that the country must invest in a larger army, a better-equipped police force, and better conditions and salaries in the security sector.
According to Kelmendi, in the face of open radical threats, political clarity and institutional response are required. He argues that a military force of about four thousand personnel is insufficient for the defense of the republic and that Kosovo needs a stronger active army, as well as a well-prepared police force. Improving working conditions and salaries in these sectors, according to him, should be a priority of the next executive, while the situation demands vigilance and continuous military and institutional preparation.
The Serbian minister in question has already been declared persona non grata and banned from entering the territory of Kosovo.
