BELGRADE - Kosovo and Albania have announced they are not attending a meeting on Monday and Tuesday in Sarajevo of the South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP). Kosovan President Hashim Thaci motivated the decision with the invite considered ''humiliating'' by Milorad Dodik, the Serbian-Bosnian leader who is the rotating president of the three-member Bosnian presidency. Kosovo, Thaci claims, has not been treated as the other participating countries.

Dodik said that Pristina was invited in line with the format provided for such international gatherings, as an indefinite subject, described as 'Kosovo' with an asterisk, with a note explaining the status of the entity, whose self-proclaimed independence from Serbia is not recognized by the great majority of states, nor is Kosovo a member of the United Nations.

In sign of solidarity with Pristina, Albania said that it will also not be participating in the SEECP summit in Sarajevo.

Meanwhile reports in Zagreb said Croatian President Kolinda Graba Kitarovic and Premier Andrek Plenkovic will not be in the Bosnian capital although the reason was not stated. Croatia however will be represented by lower-level officials.

The SEECP summit today and tomorrow will be attended by the heads of state and government of the regional organization including Turkish President Tayyip Recep Erdogan and his counterparts from Slovenia, Montenegro and North Macedonia. A meeting of foreign ministers is scheduled today while a meeting of heads of state and government will be held tomorrow.

The summit ends the rotating presidency of Bosnia-Herzegovina of SEECP, which will go to Kosovo. The situation is delicate, given that no representatives of Pristina will be in Sarajevo.