Kosovo's Foreign Minister said he did not want to create a rift in Bosnia and Herzegovina when asked by N1 to explain why he cancelled his participation in the informal meeting of foreign ministers of the Southeast European Cooperation Process (SEECP) countries, in Banjaluka.
“After the President of Republika Srpska entity Milorad Dodik said I wasn't welcome there, I decided to cancel my planned visit to Bosnia. I was very surprised by Dodik's statements,” Behgjet Pacolli told N1.
Earlier this week, Bosnia's Foreign Minister Igor 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 Banjaluka.
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This possibility was strongly objected by Milorad Dodik, the President of Bosnia's Serb-dominated entity, Republika Srpska (RS) who said that Pacolli was not welcome in Banjaluka.
“I didn't want to cause any trouble. I didn't want my presence to be the cause of some rift between the two entities,” Pacolli added.
Bosnia and Herzegovina consists of two entities: the Bosniak-Croat dominated Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH) entity, and the Serb-dominated Republika Srpska (RS) entity, as well as of the District of Brcko, to the North of Bosnia, where neither of the three constituent peoples make the majority.
Pacolli said he still does not know why Dodik opposed his arrival. He said he thinks Dodik's attitude was the result of “conspiracy theories between Belgrade and Pristina.”
The Kosovo Minister confirmed that he met with Milorad Dodik after the RS President denied, on Monday, that he ever met with Pacolli.
“I came with my aeroplane and Mr Dodik received me at the airport. We had a very good conversation, then. Dodik invited us to come because of some problems with the oil refinery in Bosanski Brod. I wasn't a politician back then,” Pacolli pointed out.
He described his meeting with Dodik as normal.
