Paunović Apologizes to Vučić Over Ethnic Cleansing Statement, Albanians Receive No Apology

Snezhana Paunović, Serbia’s Minister of Public Administration and Local Self-Government, has yet to apologize to Kosovo Albanians over her statement that, if she had been in Slobodan Milošević’s position in 1998, she would have carried out ethnic cleansing against them.

Instead, she expressed regret to President Aleksandar Vučić and Prime Minister Gjuro Macut. The minister claims that the two were unfairly attacked because of her words, which she says were misinterpreted.

During an interview with Informer television, Paunović described the isolation of just seven seconds from the entire programme as a malicious act, claiming that a political case had been fabricated around that excerpt.

She explained that it was merely a personal story and not an official position. “That was my story, not a statement. It is unpleasant to have to explain that this is not the president’s policy, nor that of the Government,” Paunović stressed, Danas reports, as carried by KosovaPress.

Following the wave of reactions triggered by her statement, Paunović thanked her supporters, specifically mentioning the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS), of which she is a member. She also criticised the media that, according to her, condemned the statement, adding that those who supported her showed that they defend their “dignity and honour”.