Romania shuns Warsaw Summit due to Kosovo issue

Romania will not attend the Central and South-Eastern European summit scheduled for Warsaw this weekend because the hosts decided to invite Kosovo, which Romania does not recognize as a country, Presidency spokesman Valeriu Turcan said Wednesday in a release.

"The seventeenth summit of the Central and South-Eastern European heads of state is to take place in Warsaw on May 27 and 28," said Turcan, adding that President Traian Basescu will not attend this event, "given that the hosts of this year's summit have decided to invite an entity that is not recognized as state by Romania."

Slovakia and Serbia will also shun the summit, which will be attended by about ten heads of state. U.S. President Barack Obama will appear as a special guest.

Roman Kuznjar, an advisor to Polish president, said earlier that Poland understands Slovakia and Romania's decision, but there is no reason why Warsaw should not invite the Kosovo President or a representative at the summit.

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