The last time Behgjet Pacolli was in Banjaluka, he was welcomed by Republika Srpska entity President Milorad Dodik with whom he held a meeting and even had a drink in one of Banjaluka’s cafes, Bosnia’s Foreign Minister said, following Dodik’s opposition to Pacolli’s visit to Banjaluka.

“The last time Behgjet Pacolli was in Banjaluka, his host was Milorad Dodik; he welcomed him at the airport, held meetings with him and continued to hang with him in one of the local cafes,” Foreign Minister Igor Crnadak said. “Unlike Dodik, I haven’t had any meetings with Pacolli outside some regional meetings. Pristina representatives are taking part in regional meetings in accordance with the Belgrade-Pristina agreement. If he (Dodik) was serious – he has the police and the judiciary so he can prevent him from coming to Banjaluka.”

Crnadak held a press conference amid Dodik’s statements that he will prevent Pacolli’s visit to Banjaluka. Earlier, Crnadak said that Foreign Minister of “temporary institutions in Pristina,” Behgjet Pacolli, will attend the informal meeting of foreign ministers of the Southeast European Cooperation Process (SEECP) countries, with the consent of Belgrade institutions, scheduled for the same week in Banja Luka.

This possibility was strongly objected by Milorad Dodik, the President of Bosnia's Serb-dominated part, Republika Srpska (RS) who said that Pacolli was not welcome in Banjaluka.

The Minister also confirmed that the trilateral meeting will not be cancelled after it was postponed, Monday, but that it was rescheduled for Wednesday.

Reacting to Crrnadak’s press conference, Milorad Dodik rejected all claims that he ever met with Pacolli, calling such statements a “notorious lie.”

“Never in my life have I met with that man. Everything Crnadak said is nothing more than a notorious lie, which is expected of Igor Crnadak,” Dodik said.