German Bundestag member Adis Ahmetović delivered a powerful speech in the German Parliament, recalling the tragic events in Kosovo in 1999 and emphasizing that thousands of people fell victim to massacres carried out by the regime of Slobodan Milošević.
During his address, Ahmetović criticized the continued use of the narrative that NATO’s 1999 air campaign in the former Yugoslavia created a “precedent.” He stressed that this discourse is often misused—including by the far right—to legitimize violations of international law.
“Every time you use this narrative, you forget the victims of Srebrenica in 1995, because there was no humanitarian intervention then. Every time you use this narrative, you forget above all the victims in Kosovo. Many thousands of people became victims of Milošević’s massacres,” Ahmetović stated.
He warned that such an approach risks relativizing Russia’s aggressive war against Ukraine and added that the 1999 humanitarian intervention—also supported by the German Bundestag—was crucial in preventing the repetition of genocide in the Western Balkans.
Ahmetović accused certain lawmakers of defending narratives that, according to him, run counter to democracy and human rights, including the defense of figures such as Milošević.
For his clear stance, Kosovo’s Ambassador to Germany, Faruk Ajeti, publicly thanked MP Ahmetović.
“Thank you, dear Adis, for your clear position and your direct words,” Ajeti wrote in a public post.
