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Kosovo Bans Serbian Minister Paunović Over Ethnic Cleansing Remarks

Kosovo Bans Serbian Minister Paunović Over Ethnic Cleansing Remarks

From N1 Serbia · () Serbian

Translated from Serbian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • Kosovo's Interior Minister Dželjalj Svećlja declared Serbia's Minister of Public Administration and Local Self-Government, Snežana Paunović, a persona non grata.
  • Svećlja cited Paunović's statement about ethnic cleansing of Kosovo as evidence of Serbia's continued project to ethnically cleanse Albanians.
  • The decision prohibits Paunović from entering or transiting Kosovo, with Svećlja stating that the era of Albanian oppression is over.

Kosovo's Interior Minister Dželjalj Svećlja has declared Serbian Minister Snežana Paunović a persona non grata, banning her from entering or transiting Kosovo. Svećlja stated that Paunović's remarks about ethnic cleansing confirmed Serbia's persistent project to ethnically cleanse Albanians.

If I were Slobodan Milošević, I would have ethnically cleansed Kosovo in 1998.

— Snežana PaunovićSerbian Minister of Public Administration and Local Self-Government Snežana Paunović's controversial statement made on Kurir TV.

Svećlja drew a parallel between Paunović's alleged sentiment and the actions of Slobodan Milošević, the former Serbian president known as the "Butcher of the Balkans." The Kosovar minister condemned such rhetoric as a continuation of state policy that has historically fueled violence and crimes against Albanians.

In our era, the former boss of Snežana Paunović, Slobodan Milošević, known as the Butcher of the Balkans, attempted this.

— Dželjalj SvećljaKosovo's Interior Minister Dželjalj Svećlja commenting on Paunović's statement.

"The hatred expressed in threatening tones towards the constitutional order and sovereignty of Kosovo is unacceptable and must be strongly condemned by democratic states and societies that protect peace and human rights," Svećlja stated. He emphasized that the era of Albanians being oppressed, massacred, and ethnically cleansed has ended permanently.

The hatred expressed in threatening tones towards the constitutional order and sovereignty of Kosovo is unacceptable and must be strongly condemned by democratic states and societies that protect peace and human rights.

— Dželjalj SvećljaKosovo's Interior Minister Dželjalj Svećlja's condemnation of Paunović's rhetoric.

Meanwhile, Šaip Kamberi, a Serbian Parliament member, believes Paunović's statement instills fear among Albanians living in Serbia. He urged the Serbian government to address the incident promptly.

The era in which Albanians were oppressed, massacred, and ethnically cleansed has ended once and for all.

— Dželjalj SvećljaKosovo's Interior Minister Dželjalj Svećlja's statement on the end of Albanian oppression.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by N1 Serbia in Serbian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.