The Prime Minister of the Serbian government, Gjuro Macut, commented on the recent statements of Minister Snezhana Paunović and the echoes they have continuously caused. He called on everyone to consider the chapter closed, stressing that citizens need concrete results from the executive, not pointless debates.
According to Blic reports, Macut pointed out that his cabinet is guided by a measured and responsible state line. “Personal opinions, whether clumsily expressed or taken out of context, no matter who said them, cannot be equated with the official position of the Government. Our platform is based on peace, on protecting national and state interests, on respect for international norms, on dialogue and on the full guarantee of human rights for all. Any attempt to present an individual statement as an expression of Serbia’s official policy is absolutely unfounded,” Macut is cited as telling Juronjuz.
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He insisted that it is time to lower tensions and look at things calmly and logically. “I made it clear to Minister Snezhana Paunović that such claims are unacceptable. She has apologized for her words, even though she herself is a person expelled from Kosovo. I believe this matter should now be closed. Citizens expect work from us, not quarrels. Therefore, we will continue to focus on the tasks we perform for the good of Serbia,” the prime minister explained. He further added that it is not fair for a statement, immediately followed by an apology, to become a pretext to politically judge Serbia or to question the composition and activity of its Government. Serbia is committed to European values and sincere dialogue with allies, but in return it demands equal respect for the principles of mutual understanding, equality, and non-interference in internal affairs. I believe that partnership relations are built by applying the same standards uniformly to everyone, including Serbia,” Macut concluded.
Meanwhile, Professor Daniel Serwer from Johns Hopkins University in Washington reacted sharply to the shocking statement of Minister Paunović, who a few days ago said that if she had been in Slobodan Milošević’s position in 1998, she would have ethnically cleansed Kosovo. “If Vučić had even an ounce of disagreement in his body, he would fire her immediately. This statement is as condemnable as it is difficult to describe. I could never have imagined such a thing,” Serwer declared for N1 television in Belgrade.
Czech MEP Tomas Zdechovsky also described Paunović’s statement as intolerable and called for Serbia to be excluded from EU accession talks.
On the other hand, Kosovo’s acting Minister of Justice, Donika Gërvalla, has filed a criminal complaint against the Serbian minister. Through official channels, Gërvalla announced that she requested the State Prosecutor to open investigations and prepare an indictment, also seeking punishment from the relevant court.
Kosovo’s acting minister, Andin Hoti, compared Paunović to former Serbian leader Slobodan Milošević, stressing that any attempt at ethnic cleansing in Kosovo would end the same way. “Your ideological teacher, Milošević, tried the same thing in Kosovo. He ended up before international justice, and Serbia withdrew from Kosovo in disgrace. The response of the Kosovo people, the Liberation Army, and the democratic world is known. Kosovo remained free. Milošević ended up as a war criminal. You would have the same fate, and you will have it every time you try,” Hoti wrote.
