Government of Serbia

Serbia finds it unacceptable for the opening of the first chapters in EU accession negotiations to take place next year, Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said.

He pointed out that the country has made progress by signing the Brussels agreement and therefore expects the first chapters to be opened in November or December.

Almost nine months after being elected party president, Socialist Party boss Ivica Dacic - who is also Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Serbia - played safe in choosing a new leadership on Thursday.

Among the vice-presidents are veteran party officials Aleksandar Antic, Branko Ruzic, Slavica Djukic Dejanovic.

Ivica Dacic, Serbia first deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs, will take part in a two-day informal meeting of EU foreign ministers.

The gathering starts in Luxembourg on Friday and will have "the burning issue of migrations as one of the key topics of the plenary discussion," Tanjug said.

NATO has not spoken against Serbia's participation in military exercises with Russia, while the EU is not a military block and should mind its own business.

That is what Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said on Wednesday.

Serbia's OSCE Chairmanship is determined to intensify activities aimed at implementation of the Minsk agreement, Ivica Dacic has said.

Serbia's first deputy prime minister and foreign minister, and OSCE chairperson-in-office Ivica spoke on Wednesday in Belgrade, stressing that it was "of utmost importance for all sides to respect the agreement."

It would be too ambitious to open 15 EU membership negotiations chapters in 2016, says the Serbian minister without portfolio in charge of EU integration.

However, added Jadranka Joksimovic, "it is important that Serbia is prepared."

Despite announcements, Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic has not yet made a decision on early parliamentary elections.

On Monday, he said he was still thinking whether it was time for elections because of, as he said, implementation of reforms.

The Belgrade High Court replaced detention by house arrest with an electronic bracelet for Tabloid magazine editor Milan Mladenovic.

The 52-year-old is suspected of having used social networks to voice threats against Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic and certain ministers.

President Tomislav Nikolic and a Serbian delegation on Thursday started their two-day official visit to Kazakhstan.

According to Nikolic, the meetings "will be friendly, but also very specific and aimed at improving overall, and especially economic cooperation."

Serbia and Macedonia have asked the EU take action on the issue of asylum seekers, given that a million euros earmarked for assistance "is not enough."