Recent inflammatory remarks by a Serbian cabinet minister serve as a stark reminder of the “constant threat” Kosovo faces from Belgrade, requiring a decisive, coordinated response from Pristina and its Western allies, a leading security analyst has warned.
Arben Fetoshi, the Director of the Pristina-based OCTOPUS Institute (the Institute for Hybrid Warfare Studies), made the assessment during an appearance on Klan Kosova’s Edicioni Special, following the regional uproar over statements made by Serbian Minister of Public Administration Snežana Paunović.
A “Constant Threat” Requiring a Strategic Response
In her televised remarks, Paunović stated that had she been in Slobodan Milošević’s position in 1998, she “would have ethnically cleansed Kosovo.”
Fetoshi emphasized that such open endorsements of mass deportation and violence cannot be brushed aside as isolated rhetoric. Instead, they reflect deeply rooted, active political ideologies within Serbia’s current ruling coalition.
“We are dealing with a constant danger that we must answer with a strategic response. It is crucial for the EU, the United States, and especially NATO to respond to this rhetoric so that we do not allow this dangerous language to be normalized.” — Arben Fetoshi, Director of the OCTOPUS Institute
Kosovo Retaliates: Minister Declared “Persona Non Grata”
The institutional response from Pristina was swift. Following the broadcast, Kosovo’s Minister of Internal Affairs, Xhelal Sveçla, signed an executive order permanently banning Snežana Paunović from entering the Republic of Kosovo.
Sveçla declared that the project of ethnically cleansing Albanians remains an active ideology in Belgrade, asserting that any attempt to threaten the security or territorial integrity of Kosovo will be met with a firm legal and state response.
[ Dual Response to Paunović's Rhetoric ]
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[ Kosovo's Legal Action ] [ Strategic Ally Mobilization ]
Minister Sveçla issues a permanent Analyst Fetoshi urges the EU, US,
**persona non grata** ban on Paunović. and NATO to formally reject the rhetoric.
Preventing the “Normalization” of Genocide
Security experts in the Balkans warn that Belgrade’s failure to censor or discipline Paunović signals a tacit endorsement of her views by the state. Analysts like Fetoshi argue that without forceful diplomatic condemnation from Brussels and Washington, nationalist state actors in the region will continue to test boundaries, eroding the fragile peace established after the 1999 conflict.
