BRATISLAVA, May 24, (WEBNOVINY) — On Friday, May 27, Slovak President Ivan Gasparovic will participate in a summit of presidents of CEE countries in Poland. The president decided to accept the invitation, after the Polish party accepted Slovak propositions on resolving the political and protocol issues in organizing the event, Gasparovic’s spokesman Marek Trubac told SITA news agency. “As the Polish party has also invited the President of Kosovo to Warsaw, a diplomatic and legal obstacle has arisen for Slovakia. President Ivan Gasparovic asked the Polish hosts to create conditions that would make it possible for Slovakia to attend the summit without casting into doubt the legal position of Slovakia regarding the issue of Kosovar independence,” said Trubac. At the end of the two-day meeting of central and eastern European presidents, Gasparovic will also attend a dinner with U.S. President Barack Obama.
Leaders of the region will meet this Friday and Saturday in Warsaw and will also be joined by Barack Obama. However, Serbian President Boris Tadic decided to boycott the event in protest of the fact that Kosovar President Atifete Jahjaga is attending. Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski whose country recognizes Kosovo, declared that he had no reason not to invite Jahjaga.
The website of Serbian radio station B92 informed that after Poland invited the Kosovar president, it is possible that the presidents of Romania and Slovakia, countries that do not recognize Kosovo, may not be attending the summit, either.
SITA