Kosovo minister: Serbian counterpart's statement shows Serbia hasn't shed Milošević's ideology

Andin Hoti, Kosovo's Minister for Labor, Family, and War Veterans' Benefits, strongly criticized a statement made by Serbian Minister of Public Administration and Local Self-Government, Snežana Paunović. Paunović had suggested that in 1998, she would have ethnically cleansed Kosovo of Albanians if she had been in Slobodan Milošević's position.

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Anyone who today calls for ethnic cleansing is not only a threat to Kosovo, but proof that Serbia has not yet freed itself from Milošević's genocidal ideology and criminal policy that brought wars, massacres, and historical shame.

Hoti stated on Facebook that anyone advocating for ethnic cleansing today poses a threat not only to Kosovo but also proves that Serbia has not yet liberated itself from Milošević's genocidal ideology and criminal policies. He added that Milošević, who attempted similar actions in Kosovo, faced international justice and left Kosovo defeated. Hoti warned Paunović that she would meet the same fate if she pursued such actions.

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Your ideological father, Milošević, tried the same in Kosovo. He ended up before international justice, and Serbia withdrew from Kosovo with its head bowed.

Paunović, speaking on Kurir television, clarified her statement, saying she would not have "liquidated" Albanians but would have expelled those who did not feel like citizens of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to their "motherland." She also stated that those involved in "terrorist actions" would be dealt with as terrorists are typically handled. Paunović, a member of the Socialist Party of Serbia since 1992, noted that her stance differed from that of Milošević or the party itself.

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But not in a way that I would liquidate them now, as they are trying to ethnically cleanse Kosovo to this day, but in a way that everyone who feels less like a resident of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia leaves it and goes to their motherland.