German Bundestag Member: NATO Intervention in '99 Stopped Milosevic's Genocide in Kosovo

German Bundestag member Adis Ahmetovic delivered a powerful speech in the German Parliament, recalling the tragic events of 1999 in Kosovo, emphasizing that thousands of civilians became victims of massacres and ethnic cleansing by the Slobodan Milosevic regime.

During the speech, Ahmetović sharply criticized the continued use of the narrative that NATO's intervention in the former Yugoslavia constitutes a precedent for violating international law.

According to him, this discourse is being used more and more often, even by the far right, to legitimize new violations of international law.

He warned that this interpretation is also appearing in current debates in the Bundestag, including discussions on the federal chancellor's foreign policy, creating ground for relativizing Russia's aggressive war against Ukraine.

In his speech, Ahmetović emphasized that the use of this narrative leads to the forgetting of the victims of genocide and war crimes in the Balkans.

"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 Milosevic's massacres," he declared.

Ahmetović said that the 1999 humanitarian intervention, also supported by the German Bundestag, was crucial to stopping systematic violence and preventing the recurrence of a genocide in the Western Balkans.

He stressed that this intervention cannot be equated with aggressive wars or territorial invasions, clearly distinguishing it from Russian aggression against Ukraine.

Ahmetović accused some MPs of defending narratives against democracy and human rights, including relativizing or justifying figures like Slobodan Milošević.

According to him, such an approach constitutes an insult to the victims and endangers European historical memory.

Ahmetović's speech was also welcomed by the Ambassador of the Republic of Kosovo to Germany, Faruk Ajeti, who publicly thanked the MP for his clear and principled stance.

"Thank you, dear Adis, for your clear stance and your direct words," Ajeti wrote.

The Geo Post