Kosovo Foreign Minister, Behgjet Pacolli, cancelled his trip to Banja Luka, after “the threats and obstacles” he encountered following the invitation to attend a meeting of the regional foreign ministers in that Bosnia's city, the minister said on Tuesday.
Pacolli was invited to attend the informal meeting of foreign ministers of the South-East Europe Cooperation Process (SEECP) in Bosnia's northwestern city of Banja Luka, but his presence was strongly objected by Milorad Dodik, President of Bosnia's Serb dominated entity, Republika Srpska (RS).
“Because of the threats and obstacles created by RS President, Milorad Dodik, towards me and my delegation, despite the invitation by Bosnia's Foreign Minister, Igor Crnadak, I've cancelled my participation at the SEECP foreign ministers informal meeting in Banja Luka,” Pacolli announced on his official Twitter profile.
“Dodik is a concern for all in the Western Balkans,” the Kosovo official tweeted.
The RS president said Pacolli was not welcome in Banja Luka and that he saw Crnadak's invitation to that official as “a provocation for the Republika Srpska.”
Crnadak promptly responded to Dodik and said he had sent the invitation with the consent of the official Belgrade, assessing that this was another in the series “of Dodik's empty phrases.”
“If he was serious – he has the police and judiciary so he could stop him,” Crnadak said on Monday at a press conference.
The city of Banja Luka, the seat of RS institutions, was supposed to host a trilateral meeting of foreign ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Turkey on Tuesday but due to extraordinary developments, Turkish FM cancelled the participation.
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Although this meeting has been postponed, an informal meeting of the SEECP member states’ foreign ministers, will be held a day later.
“The meeting remains. Who is questioning the meeting? The meeting is on Wednesday”, said Bosnia's FM.
