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"I would ethnically cleanse Kosovo", who is the Serbian minister who was declared "persona non grata"

Politiko 2026-07-15 10:29:00

"I would ethnically cleanse Kosovo", who is the Serbian minister who

Kosovo has declared Serbia's Minister of Public Administration and Local Self-Government, Snezhana Paunović, "persona non grata", permanently banning her from entering and transiting through the territory of the Republic of Kosovo.

The decision of the Kosovo authorities came after her statements about Kosovo and Albanians, where in an interview with the Serbian media outlet "Kurir" she stated that, if she were in the place of former Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic in 1998, she would "ethnically cleanse Kosovo."

The statement, made on the International Day of Remembrance of the Srebrenica Genocide, caused strong reactions in Kosovo. Institutions and political representatives in Pristina condemned the language used by the Serbian minister, while there were also reactions from the European Union and Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos.

But who is Snezhana Paunović?

Paunović was born in Peja and, according to official data from the ministry she heads in Serbia, is a graduate economist. She has been part of the Socialist Party of Serbia since 1992, an entity founded by Slobodan Milošević and currently led by Ivica Dačić.

During her political career, she has held important positions within this party. For two terms, she was the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Serbia and the leader of the parliamentary group of the Socialist Party. Since 2017, she has been part of the Presidency of the SPS, while from 2024 she holds the position of Deputy Speaker of the party.

In December 2021, Paunović visited the municipality of Štrpce in Kosovo, along with other Serb MPs, where she met with the mayor of the municipality from the Srpska List. On that occasion, she emphasized the party's connection with Serbian institutions and praised the "mutual support" between them.

With Pristina's latest decision, she has become another Serbian official who is not allowed to enter Kosovo territory due to her statements.

Paunović's case is not isolated. In the past, several Serbian officials have used offensive and derogatory language towards Albanians in Kosovo and the Preševo ​​Valley. One of them is former Serbian minister Aleksandar Vulin, who in a television appearance used the offensive term "Šiptari" for Albanians, accusing them of criminal acts on Serbian territory.

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