Serbia

BELGRADE - Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic conferred on Wednesday with Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Alexey Meshkov, and stated that Serbia will continue to support the search for a peaceful solution to the crisis in Ukraine.

BELGRADE - The 51st International Convention of Writers, to be held until September 22, was ceremonially opened at the National Library of Serbia on Wednesday.

Association of Serbian Writers (UKS) President Radomir Andric - Roko opened the event, welcoming the international participants, as well as those from Serbia, Kosovo-Metohija and Republika Srpska.

LAZAREVAC - The Serbian government is doing all it can to stabilise the energy system, but there are no plans for power cuts, Energy Minister Aleksandar Antic said as the Kolubara Mine Basin started draining water from the Tamnava West Field coal mine on Wednesday.

Hungary "willing to help Serbia with gas storage"

BUDAPEST -- Hungary is willing to help Serbia secure the energy it needs and store natural gas for it, Serbia's Energy Minister Aleksandar Antić said on Tuesday.

"South Stream must comply with EU laws"

BRUSSELS -- The EU will not interfere in the construction of South Stream through Serbia, "but the pipeline will be put into operation only when it complies with EU laws."

BELGRADE - Public administration should be transformed into a provider of services to the citizens and economy of Serbia, and this will require motivated, top quality employees, Serbian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Administration and Local Self-Government Kori Udovicki said Wednesday.

Air Serbia "has chance to become leading Balkan airline"

BELGRADE -- President and CEO of Etihad Airways James Hogan said that Air Serbia has a chance to become the leading airline in the Balkans.

It is crucial for Serbia to continue to build its brand in the air travel industry, he added.

Bosnia, Kosovo and Albania are the main recruiting grounds in the Balkans for radical Islamists seeking fighters for the wars in Syria and Iraq. In terms of numbers, they come just behind Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Tunisia, Radio Free Europe, RFE, reported on Tuesday.

TOKYO - Serbia's Jelena Jankovic and Arantxa Parra Santonja of Spain have secured their spot in the doubles semifinals at the WTA tournament in Tokyo.

The Serbian-Spanish pair beat the Russian-Australian combination Alla Kudryavtseva/Anastasia Rodionova 2-6, 6-3, 10-6.

BELGRADE - There is no danger of floods on major rivers, with the Danube, the Sava and the Morava rivers currently at medium or medium-to-high levels for this time of year, the director of the Srbijavode water management company Goran Puzovic said on Wednesday.