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Serbian minister apologizes after statement about "ethnic cleansing of Kosovo": It was taken out of context

Politiko 2026-07-16 12:44:57

Serbian minister apologizes after statement about "ethnic cleansing of

Serbian Minister of State Administration and Local Self-Government, Snezhana Paunovic, has apologized after her statement about the "ethnic cleansing of Kosovo", which caused strong reactions in Kosovo, Serbia and the international arena.

Paunović issued an apology to President Aleksandar Vučić, the Serbian government, and Prime Minister Đuro Macu, claiming that her statement had been taken out of context and that only a few seconds of excerpt from an interview had been taken.

However, in the interview given to the Serbian television "Kurir TV", the minister is heard stating that, if she were in the place of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic in 1998, she "would have ethnically cleansed Kosovo."

"This was my personal statement, not a political statement. It is unpleasant that I have to explain that this is not the policy of the president or the government ," Paunovic said in an interview with "Informer TV."

She claimed that by the word "purge" she had in mind the removal of people who, according to her, "did not feel themselves part of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia", while those who committed "terrorist acts" would be treated as such.

The Serbian minister thanked her supporters, especially the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS), of which she is a part, while criticizing the opposition and some Serbian media outlets for their reactions to the statement, accusing them of using the issue for political gain.

She also commented on the decision of the Kosovo authorities to declare her "persona non grata", describing it as paradoxical and claiming that the entry ban was imposed by the "provisional institutions of Kosovo".

Her statement has been condemned by civil society organizations and opposition figures in Serbia, who have called for her immediate dismissal.

There were also reactions from the European Union. European Commission spokeswoman Anita Hipper stated that there is no place in Europe for rhetoric that justifies or promotes ethnic cleansing.

Meanwhile, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić tried to distance himself from the minister's statement, emphasizing that it does not represent the position of the presidency or the government of Serbia.

"Our policy is based on dialogue, compromise, peace and stability, and never on ethnic cleansing. This is our position and it should be completely clear," Vučić said.

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