Kosovo has declared Serbian Minister of State Administration and Local Self-Government Snežana Paunović permanently persona non grata, banning her from entering or transiting the country after she said in a televised interview that she would have carried out ethnic cleansing in Kosovo in 1998 had she been Slobodan Milošević. Kosovo Interior Minister Xhelal Sveçla announced the lifetime ban on July 14, a day after Paunović made the remarks in an interview broadcast on the pro-government channel Kurir.
EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos condemned the comments in Brussels, saying Europe has no place for rhetoric that justifies or glorifies ethnic cleansing, while European Parliament member Sandro Goci said Serbia cannot credibly claim commitment to EU membership while government figures revive Milošević-era ideology.
Serbian Deputy Prime Minister and Socialist Party leader Ivica Dačić defended Paunović on July 15, calling the backlash hypocritical and stating that ethnic cleansing of Serbs had occurred in Kosovo. Paunović, a Kosovo Serb originally from Peja, leads the SPS, an ally of President Vučić's SNS. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, recognized by over 110 nations but not by Belgrade.