President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, has stated that the people of Kosovo were not involved in committing war crimes during the 1990s conflict, drawing a sharp contrast with Serbia and recalling that Aleksandar Vučić served as the Minister of Propaganda under Slobodan Milošević.
Speaking at a panel organized by the Hudson Institute, Osmani said:
“We all went through war; we were children of war, we experienced terrible suffering—but we did not take part, the people of Kosovo did not take part in committing crimes. When you look at Vučić, he was Milošević’s Minister of Propaganda. I mean, this is the truth—it’s the truth.”
She continued by expressing concern over Vučić’s continued adherence to the same ideology, saying it is unfortunate for Serbia, the region, and international allies who must constantly confront his destabilizing tactics:
“It’s really sad. Sad for the people of Serbia and for the country he leads, for the whole region, and also for our allies who have to deal with his ongoing tactics of destabilization. He talks about a ‘Greater Serbia’ or a ‘Serbian World.’ It’s a copy of Putin’s playbook.”
A swift response came from Petar Petković, the Director of the Serbian Government’s Office for Kosovo, who accused President Osmani of being “obsessed” with Vučić:
“Vjosa no longer hides how obsessed she is with Vučić. Wherever she goes, all she talks about is Vučić. Now she’s gone a step further—she even sees a duck.”
President Osmani is currently on an official visit to the United States, which began on Thursday.
