Kosovo’s president to boycott summit in Bosnia

TIRANA, Albania – Kosovo’s president says he will boycott a summit in Bosnia over that government’s stance on his country.

Hashim Thaci says he couldn’t take part in the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development forum in Sarajevo on Wednesday and Thursday because “bilateral ties … are at the lowest possible level.”

Thaci said Tuesday that Bosnia hasn’t recognized Kosovo’s independence from Serbia, still requires visas for Kosovars entering the country and “behaves in a totally anti-European manner and crueler than Serbia itself.”

In November, Kosovo’s government slapped a 100-per cent tax on Bosnian and Serbian imports, saying it will only be lifted when Sarajevo and Belgrade recognize Kosovo’s sovereignty and stop preventing the country from joining international organizations.

Serbia also doesn’t recognize Kosovo’s 2008 declaration of independence.