Serbian minister apologizes only to Belgrade

A Serbian cabinet minister has apologized to her own government—but not to Kosovo Albanians—following international outrage over her comments supporting ethnic cleansing.

Snezhana Paunovic issued the public apology exclusively to President Aleksandar Vucic and Prime Minister Duro Macut on Thursday after causing a major diplomatic incident.

Speaking on state television, she claimed her seven-second statement was taken out of context and merely reflected her personal historical views.

She said her controversial statements reflected personal historical views rather than the official state policy of the Serbian president or his government.

Paunovic also criticized the Kosovo government's decision to ban her from entering its territory, calling the restriction paradoxical given her existing travel limitations.