Thaci refused to come to Sarajevo due to non-recognition and poor relations between Kosovo and BiH

SARAJevo, (Patria) -. President of Kosovo Hashim Thaci has withdrawn from participating in the summit in Sarajevo, within the annual meeting of the Board of Governors of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).

Thaci thanked the EBRD for the invitation and equal treatment of Kosovo at this meeting and stated that he regrets not participating, according to a statement reported by Kosovo media.

"The only reason that led to President Thaci not participating in this high-level meeting are the bilateral relations between the Republic of Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina, which are at the lowest possible level. Despite our political will and the readiness of our country to have good neighborly relations with Bosnia and Herzegovina and mutual recognition, unfortunately, to this day, this has not only not been accepted, but has often been abused," the statement reads.

It is added that Bosnia and Herzegovina has not yet recognized the Republic of Kosovo and that BiH still maintains a visa regime for citizens of the Republic of Kosovo.

"It is paradoxical that in a situation where, despite the bloody war that occurred and despite the fact that we still do not have a normalization agreement, we have free movement without passports and visas between Kosovo and Serbia, while on the other hand, Bosnia and Herzegovina continues to discriminate against Kosovo citizens with a visa regime. We cannot understand that Bosnia and Herzegovina is behaving completely anti-European and more rudely than Serbia itself. Kosovo remains committed to good neighborly relations, regional cooperation, and the Euro-Atlantic future, but refuses to be subjected to and discriminated against by anyone," the statement from the President of Kosovo says.