Serbian minister Snežana Paunović provoked strong reactions after a shocking statement in which she said that if she were in Slobodan Milošević’s position, she would carry out ethnic cleansing in the territory of Kosovo.

Before taking the ministerial post in the Serbian government during 2025, Paunović earned income as a member of parliament, but also simultaneously as the head of the Pharmaceutical Institution of Peja based in Kosovo.

Officially, this entity based in Goraždevac has not been operating since 2021. Radio Free Europe has verified that its closure was carried out on October 7, 2021, through a decision of the Serbian executive.

Security issues specialist Drizan Shala told “Bota sot” that the case of Snežana Paunović raises deep suspicions about the continuity of financial support for illegal Serbian networks within Kosovo.

In his analysis, the fact that a dissolved institution continued to pay its leadership demonstrates that Belgrade may still be keeping parallel mechanisms alive to exert influence in Kosovo.

He also pointed out that authorities in Prishtina have documented the connection of some of these groups with activities that undermine the legal order and national security.

“The case of Snežana Paunović is not simply a bureaucratic irregularity. It is an indicator that heightens concerns about how Serbia continues to funnel money to its parallel structures in Kosovo, even after they have been dissolved on paper.

If a unit formally closed in 2021 still generated salaries for its chiefs, then the question arises of how many other entities receive funds from the Serbian budget without any clear operational justification. This is not only about the administration of state finances; it is about a strategy of Belgrade to preserve parallel power in the space of Kosovo.

For more than twenty years, Serbia has created and fed with money a network of parallel institutions, offices, and instruments in Kosovo. A segment of these formations has been described by Kosovo institutions as a base for exercising political pressure, logistical support, and operations in the northern sector of the country.

Developments in recent years, especially armed attacks against state facilities and law enforcement forces in Kosovo, have proven that the networks built and supported by Belgrade did not have only civilian functions. Kosovo officials have stated that individuals implicated in the parallel structures have been involved in actions that damage the constitutional basis and public security. These accusations have been followed by investigative processes and punitive measures against the suspects,” Shala emphasized.

Further, Shala underlined that the issue should not be treated as an isolated event, but as a potential signal that parallel networks are still active and functional.

He called for a full financial audit and a transparent investigative process regarding the funds that Serbia allocates to its entities in Kosovo, adding that honesty is key if Belgrade intends to show willingness for the normalization of relations.

“In this light, the case of a defunct organization that nonetheless is financed cannot be read in isolation. It leaves room to suspect that Serbian public money covers the cost of a parallel network that goes beyond service provision and turns into a tool of political and security influence in Kosovo.

That is why a comprehensive audit and an honest investigation into all the sums Serbia pours into its structures in Kosovo are essential. Citizens have the right to learn which institutions still receive funds, who manages these resources, and whether they serve community purposes or feed apparatuses that undermine the constitutional system of the Republic of Kosovo.

If Serbia is to demonstrate that it is committed to the ‘normalization of relations’ and European Union standards, then transparency over the financing of parallel mechanisms must be the first step. Every euro distributed outside legal channels and without accountability only deepens mistrust, tensions, and instability in the region,” concluded Shala.

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Serbian Minister Snežana Paunović’s statement that she would have carried out ethnic cleansing in Kosovo in Slobodan Milošević’s place has sparked widespread backlash and been described as scandalous.

Paunović was appointed a minister in the Serbian government in 2025. Before taking up the post, she was paid both as a member of parliament and as director of the Peja Pharmaceutical Institution in Kosovo.

However, the institution, headquartered in Goraždevac, has not officially been listed as active since 2021. Radio Free Europe found that it was closed on October 7, 2021, under a decision by the Serbian government.

Commenting on the case for “Bota Sot,” security expert Drizan Shala said the payments to Snežana Paunović raise serious questions about Serbia’s continued funding of parallel structures in Kosovo.

According to Shala, the continued payment of salaries to the heads of a closed institution may indicate that Belgrade is still financing parallel mechanisms with the aim of maintaining its influence in Kosovo.

“The case of Snežana Paunović cannot be treated merely as an administrative irregularity. It is a signal that adds to suspicions about how Serbia continues to finance its parallel structures in Kosovo, even though they may formally no longer exist,” Shala said.

He questioned how many other structures may continue to receive funds from the Serbian budget without having a clearly defined function, given that an institution officially closed in 2021 continued to generate salaries for its managers.

According to the expert, the issue is not solely related to the management of public funds. He considers it part of Belgrade’s state strategy to maintain parallel influence within Kosovo.

Shala recalled that, for more than two decades, Serbia has established and funded a network of parallel institutions, offices and mechanisms in Kosovo. According to him, the Kosovar authorities have identified some of them as platforms for political, logistical and operational influence in the north of the country.

“Developments in recent years, including armed attacks against Kosovo’s institutions and police, have shown that the networks established and supported by Belgrade have not played a merely administrative role. Kosovo’s authorities have stated that individuals linked to parallel structures have been involved in activities that threaten the constitutional order and public security. These allegations have been followed by investigations and legal measures against the suspects,” he said.

For this reason, Shala said the Paunović issue should not be treated as an isolated case, but as a possible indication that parallel networks continue to operate.

“Under these circumstances, the continued funding of a closed institution cannot be viewed as an isolated case. It raises suspicions that Serbian public funds may continue to sustain an active parallel network that is not limited to providing services but is used as a tool of political and security influence in Kosovo,” the expert said.

Shala called for a full audit and a transparent investigation into all funds that Serbia continues to allocate to its structures in Kosovo.

“The public has the right to know which institutions still receive funding, which individuals manage these funds, and whether the money serves civilian needs or supports mechanisms that challenge the constitutional order of the Republic of Kosovo,” he stressed.

In conclusion, Shala said transparency regarding the funding of parallel structures should be Serbia’s first step if it wishes to demonstrate a commitment to the “normalization of relations” and European standards.

“Every euro allocated outside lawful mechanisms and without accountability only increases mistrust, tensions and instability in the region,” he concluded.

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Kamberi announced that he will initiate a request for the minister’s dismissal, stressing that otherwise the lack of reaction will be interpreted as approval of the statement by the entire Government of Serbia.

“The fascist statements of government ministers best show that Milošević’s Serbia remains the same! The statement by the Minister for Local Government, Snežana Paunović, that if she were in Slobodan Milošević’s place she would ethnically cleanse Kosovo, is scandalous, unacceptable, and demands an immediate institutional reaction. For this reason, today, through an official letter, I have requested a reaction from all relevant international embassies in Belgrade.

Such a statement cannot be considered isolated. It is the result of systematic denial of war crimes, glorification of convicted war criminals, relativization of international court decisions, and historical revisionism. For the Albanians of the Preševo Valley, such statements from representatives of state institutions constitute an additional source of insecurity. When a member of the Government talks about ethnic cleansing, members of minority communities rightly ask what security they can expect from these institutions. As a candidate country for membership in the European Union, Serbia has an obligation to respect and protect the rights of minority communities. Such statements are in direct contradiction to these obligations and exceed any democratic standard on which the European Union is based. In my capacity as a deputy in the Parliament of the Republic of Serbia, I will initiate the request for the minister’s dismissal. Otherwise, silence and lack of action will be understood as approval of her statement and as the official position of the entire Government,” – he writes.

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Kamberi njoftoi se do të iniciojë kërkesën për shkarkimin e ministres, duke theksuar se, në të kundërt, mungesa e reagimit do të interpretohet si miratim i deklaratës nga e gjithë Qeveria e Serbisë.

“Deklaratat fashiste të ministrave të qeverisë tregojnë më së miri se Serbia e Millosheviqit vazhdon të mbetet e njëjtë! Deklarata e Ministres për Pushtetin Lokal, Snežana Paunović, se po të ishte në vend të Slobodan Miloševićit do ta spastronte etnikisht Kosovën, është skandaloze, e papranueshme dhe kërkon reagim të menjëhershëm institucional. Për këtë arsye, sot, nëpërmjet një shkrese zyrtare, kam kërkuar reagim nga të gjitha ambasadat relevante ndërkombëtare në Beograd.

Një deklaratë e tillë nuk mund të konsiderohet e izoluar. Ajo është rezultat i mohimit sistematik të krimeve të luftës, glorifikimit të kriminelëve të dënuar të luftës, relativizimit të vendimeve të gjykatave ndërkombëtare dhe revizionizmit të historisë. Për shqiptarët e Luginës së Preshevës, deklarata të tilla nga përfaqësues të institucioneve shtetërore përbëjnë një burim shtesë pasigurie. Kur një anëtar i Qeverisë flet për spastrim etnik, pjesëtarët e komuniteteve pakicë me të drejtë shtrojnë pyetjen se çfarë sigurie mund të presin nga këto institucione. Si vend kandidat për anëtarësim në Bashkimin Evropian, Serbia ka obligim të respektojë dhe të mbrojë të drejtat e komuniteteve pakicë. Deklarata të tilla janë në kundërshtim të drejtpërdrejtë me këto obligime dhe tejkalojnë çdo standard demokratik mbi të cilin bazohet Bashkimi Evropian. Në cilësinë e deputetit në Parlamentin e Republikës së Serbisë, do të inicioj kërkesën për shkarkimin e ministres. Në të kundërtën, heshtja dhe mungesa e veprimit do të kuptohen si miratim i deklaratës së saj dhe si qëndrim zyrtar i të gjithë Qeverisë”,– shkruan ai.

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