Although the European Union has reacted to the statements of Snezhana Paunović, Serbia’s Minister of Public Administration and Local Self-Government, she has not retracted her positions and continues to maintain the same tone, without distancing herself from the comments that sparked widespread reactions.
Paunović has deepened the controversy surrounding her views on Kosovo, refusing to distance herself from the assertion that if she had been in the role of former President Slobodan Milošević during 1998, she would have carried out “ethnic cleansing of Kosovo.” Instead of an apology, she has attacked her critics, accusing them of being filled with “hatred towards Kosovo” and representing “internal treason.”
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Via an Instagram post, the Serbian minister also made another statement against Kosovo Albanians, saying she would “return them to their country of origin, Albania.”
“I would not kill any of you, I would simply return you to your homeland, Albania. I believe they would welcome you,” Paunović wrote.
On the other hand, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Internal Affairs of Serbia, Ivica Dačić, came to her defense, calling the criticism of the minister “shameful and hypocritical.”
Dačić argued that those accusing Paunović of inciting ethnic cleansing remained silent in the face of what he called “the ethnic cleansing of Serbs from Kosovo,” referring to the departure of the Serb community from the area.
Analysts consider that these latest statements from high-ranking political figures in Serbia prove that the nationalist rhetoric and mentality of the 1990s are still present, creating uncertainty about the stability of the Balkan region.
According to them, diplomatic reactions are insufficient, and the European Union must take concrete steps towards Belgrade, conditioning support and the integration path on respecting European standards and breaking away from language that justifies historical crimes.
They emphasize that Kosovo and Albanians must maintain unity and vigilance, while the international community must be more resolute in confronting any attempt to revive nationalist ideologies that have produced conflicts in the region.
Activist Saim Tahiraj, in a statement for “Bota sot,” asserted that Serbian chauvinist politics has followed a continuous line for more than a century of creating and implementing projects against Albanians.
Tahiraj underlined that history shows ethnic cleansing and crimes against Albanians were not isolated incidents but part of a permanent policy.
“Serbian projects never stopped being drafted and implemented. The ethnic cleansings and mass crimes against Albanians never ceased for a moment. From the expulsions of Albanians from Toplica to the last conflict in Kosovo, Serbian chauvinist politics developed a series of violent campaigns that left deep consequences for the Albanian people,” he stated.
“For more than a century, Albanians faced terror, massacres, ethnic cleansing, and severe crimes, which aimed to weaken and eliminate them from their own lands in the Illyrian Peninsula. These goals were tested several times, but were never realized, even though Serbia enjoyed the support of Russia and some traditional allies in Europe,” he added.
“The Albanian people remained unbreakable throughout history. Even when isolated, they stood with stoicism, paying a very high price for their freedom and survival,” Tahiraj emphasized.
According to him, even today, statements with chauvinistic content are heard from Serbian officials, which shows this rhetoric has not died out.
“Unfortunately, chauvinistic rhetoric against Albanians has not disappeared. Therefore, such statements from Serbian officials are neither the first nor likely the last. They should not surprise us, but remind us that we must remain united and vigilant. Despite the statements and provocations, Albanians are moving forward. Today we have two Albanian states that are strengthening every day, as well as a powerful diaspora worldwide, which is always ready to help its country in any way,” he said.
“Let the Serbian chauvinists talk as much as they want; this does not stop our journey. Their dream of ethnically cleansing Albanians has failed once and for all,” Tahiraj concluded.
“The 21st century must be the century of development, success, and affirmation of Albanians. It is precisely these successes that Serbian chauvinism cannot bear, so such reactions are not accidental. ‘Let the dogs bark as much as they want; the caravan of Albanian successes continues to march powerfully forward,'” he added.
On the other hand, political analyst Eduard Gashi, for “Bota sot,” assessed that the Serbian minister’s statement is a serious signal for the region and proves that nationalist ideology in Serbia continues to be active.
Gashi stated that Kosovo institutions’ decision to declare Paunović persona non grata and the public support she received from the leader of the Socialist Party of Serbia, Ivica Dačić, shows that the rhetoric of the Milošević era has not disappeared.
“The scandalous statement of the Serbian Minister of Public Administration, Snezhana Paunović, where she claimed that if she were in Slobodan Milošević’s place, she would have carried out ‘ethnic cleansing in Kosovo in 1998,’ has ignited a new alarm in the Balkans,” he said. “Prishtina’s immediate decision to declare her permanently persona non grata and the defense offered by Ivica Dačić show that the old nationalist currents in Belgrade have never died out — they were simply hidden under the mask of pragmatic diplomacy.”
“When a government cabinet minister publicly declares she has no regrets for promoting ethnic cleansing and describes it as ‘part of the strategy’ of the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS), we are no longer dealing with an individual gaffe. The open support of Deputy Prime Minister and SPS leader, Ivica Dačić, for Paunović confirms a bitter truth: the ideological legacy of Milošević remains an active pillar of Serbian politics,” Gashi added.
He noted that Dačić, who once served as Milošević’s spokesperson, uses this rhetoric not simply to please his right-wing base, but also to test the limits of Western tolerance. “This institutional support proves that the glorification of war crimes and historical revisionism are part of a well-organized state policy, which coexists without problem within the governing coalition in Belgrade,” he emphasized.
Gashi was also critical of the European Union’s reaction, saying that condemnatory statements are not enough if they are not accompanied by concrete measures against Serbia.
“The reaction of the European Union, through Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos, was clear in principle: ‘There is no place in Europe for rhetoric that justifies, advocates, and glorifies ethnic cleansing.’ However, beyond such diplomatic statements, Brussels is once again showing the same lethargy that has characterized its foreign policy towards the Western Balkans,” he argued.
“As long as statements that call for genocidal violence pass with only verbal punishments and without real financial or political consequences, Serbia will have no incentive to change its behavior. The EU’s policy of ‘coddling’ Belgrade (under the pretext of keeping it away from Russian influence) has failed to bring democratic stability; on the contrary, it is fueling a sense of impunity,” he added.
According to Gashi, the European Union has concrete mechanisms at its disposal to pressure Belgrade, but so far has not used them effectively.
“The question now being posed in European chancelleries is pragmatic: Has the time come for the EU to move from words to actions? The tools to sanction this behavior exist and are quite effective if used: Freezing pre-accession funds (IPA), conditioning hundreds of millions of euros on respecting European values, would be the quickest and most sensitive blow. Suspending accession negotiations, making it clear that no new chapter can be opened for a state where government members openly call for ethnic cleansing. Targeted sanctions, such as travel bans and asset freezes in the EU for officials like Paunović and Dačić, would send a clear signal that the European red line cannot be crossed without personal cost,” he said.
“The ‘Paunović’ case shows that the normalization process of relations between Kosovo and Serbia is not being hindered only by technical issues, but by Serbia’s deep lack of confronting its criminal past. If the EU continues to play the role of a neutral spectator, it risks completely losing its credibility as a mediator and allowing the region to slide again towards the dark scenarios of the 1990s,” Gashi concluded for “Bota sot.”
