A wave of strong reactions has swept across the region following a statement by Serbian Interior Minister Ivica Dačić, who harshly criticized Serbs contributing to the identification of graves where Albanians killed during the conflict in Kosovo are buried.

Miodrag Vlahović, Montenegro’s former foreign minister, responded by condemning Dačić’s rhetoric, which he described as inciting hatred and an attempt to justify crimes committed during the war.

In a post on the X platform, Vlahović asked whether there was any active politician—whether a Serbo-Montenegrin, a Serb of Montenegrin origin, or a Serb and Montenegrin in Montenegro—who would openly condemn this disgusting language of hatred, this call for lynching, and this justification of the most monstrous crimes.

Meanwhile, Kosovo’s Interior Minister Xhelal Sveçla also strongly criticized Dačić’s positions. He accused Serbia of continuing to obstruct efforts to establish the fate of people who were forcibly disappeared during the war. According to Sveçla, on the one hand, the country refuses to provide information about the missing, while on the other, it threatens and arrests its own citizens who cooperate in locating the graves. He also stressed that Serbia honors units such as the 37th Brigade with memorials, even though its members bear responsibility for numerous massacres in Kosovo.

These reactions followed an interview Dačić gave to a Serbian television station, in which he harshly criticized Serbs who, according to him, reveal the locations of mass graves to Albanians and Croats. Dačić expressed concern about what would be done with these people, dismissing their statements as various kinds of nonsense.

His words have been viewed by critics as an attempt to intimidate witnesses and obstruct cooperation in clarifying the fate of missing persons. This remains one of the most sensitive and unresolved issues left by the wars in the former Yugoslavia.

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Strong reactions have followed in Kosovo after the latest statements by Serbian Minister Snezhana Paunoviq, who has now been declared persona non grata and is not allowed to enter Kosovo’s territory.

Professor Muhamet Kelmendi believes her views reflect the continuity of Serbia’s official policy toward Kosovo. For this reason, he is calling for a more decisive response from the country’s institutions, both diplomatically and through the strengthening of Kosovo’s defense capabilities.

According to Kelmendi, declaring her persona non grata was the right decision, but it is not a sufficient measure. He is also calling for President Aleksandar Vučić and Minister Ivica Dačić to be barred from entering Kosovo, while the institutions should consider launching legal proceedings against Serbian officials who, according to him, spread racial hatred or make threatening statements.

He describes Sbezhana Pauković as a Serbian ultranationalist and links her to circles belonging to a generation of Serbian national fascists driven by revanchist views who have been involved in four wars and conflicts in the Balkans.

Kelmendi says her statement should not be viewed as an individual position because, according to him, it expresses the position of the Serbian government and state as a whole. He adds that Ivica Dačić, whom he calls a Serbian racist, has expressed the same approach through the statement: “Anyone who is not Serbian should leave for Albania.”

According to the professor, neither the government nor the opposition has any major Serbian political party whose position differs from the goal of reclaiming Kosovo and Serbianizing Dardanian territory. Under these circumstances, he considers it right to declare this figure persona non grata, but insists that the action should not end there.

He is calling on the Kosovo government to take measures against the Serbian government itself, President Vučić and Dačić. Kelmendi stresses that there is no reason to wait and that the Kosovo authorities should bar them from entering the country, as well as assess the possibility of legal proceedings against individuals who incite racial hatred or voice threats.

According to Kelmendi, the latest statements by Serbian officials demonstrate that the Serbian state has not changed its position toward Kosovo. He believes Serbia’s position is made clear precisely through the Serbian minister’s statement.

Kelmendi is calling for a response not only from Kosovo’s institutions, but also from the Albanian state, the European Union and the United States of America. In the face of threats he describes as radical and fascist, he says political clarity and institutional action are needed.

At the same time, he stresses that Kosovo must establish a police force and an army capable of defending the Republic. According to him, a military force of 4,000 soldiers is not sufficient for the country’s defense needs, so Kosovo requires a larger active army and a capable, well-equipped police force.

The professor is also calling for improved working conditions in the security sector and for incomes to be adjusted in line with the economic situation. He expresses hope that the next government will resolve these issues, warning that time is passing quickly and that the situation requires vigilance, as well as military and institutional preparations to defend the country.

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Professor Muhamet Kelmendi believes that these statements demonstrate that Serbia’s official policy toward Kosovo remains unchanged. He is calling for more decisive action by institutions, both diplomatically and to increase the country’s defence capabilities.

According to Kelmendi, declaring the Serbian minister persona non grata was the right decision, but it is not enough. He is calling for President Aleksandar Vučić and Minister Ivica Dačić to also be banned from entering Kosovo, while institutions should consider launching legal proceedings against Serbian officials who, he says, spread hatred and make threatening statements.

He says that Sbezhana Pauković, whom he describes as a Serbian ultranationalist, and circles within the “pleiad of Serbian national-fascists” driven by revanchist ideas, have been linked to four wars and conflicts in the Balkans.

For Kelmendi, her statement reflects the position of the Serbian Government itself and the Serbian state as a whole. He says the same position was expressed by Ivica Dačić in the statement: “Anyone who is not Serbian should leave for Albania.”

Kelmendi states that he sees no major political party, either in government or in opposition, that holds a different position from the aim of reclaiming Kosovo and Serbianising the Dardanian territory.

Under these circumstances, he calls the decision to declare this figure non grata justified, but stresses that it should not stop at this measure alone. According to him, the Government of Kosovo should also act against the Government of Serbia, President Vučić and Dačić.

“They should be banned from entering Kosovo, and Kosovo’s institutions should consider the possibility of opening legal proceedings against individuals who incite racial hatred or make threatening statements. There is no reason to wait,” he says.

Referring to the latest statements by Serbian officials, Kelmendi believes that Serbia has not changed its approach toward Kosovo.

He calls on Kosovo’s institutions, Albania, the European Union and the United States of America to respond to the situation. He also underscores the need for Kosovo to strengthen its security through a larger army, a more capable and better-equipped police force, as well as improved working conditions and salaries in the security sector.

“The Serbian state has not changed its positions. The statement by this Serbian racist figure shows the position of the Serbian state,” Kelmendi says.

He adds that the threats he describes as radical and fascist require political clarity and an institutional response, while Kosovo must build a police force and army capable of defending the Republic.

According to him, a military force of 4,000 soldiers is not sufficient to defend the country. He calls for a larger active army, a capable and well-equipped police force, as well as salaries and working conditions in line with the economic situation.

“We hope that the next government will address these issues. Time is moving quickly, and the situation requires vigilance and military and institutional preparedness to defend the country,” he concludes.

The Serbian minister has been declared an undesirable person and has been banned from entering Kosovo.

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