Balkan countries

BELGRADE - Serbian FM Marko Djuric received EU Enlargement Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi on Tuesday, noting that full EU membership was a strategic commitment and a priority of Serbia's foreign policy.

BELGRADE - Serbian PM Milos Vucevic received Ukrainian FM Dmytro Kuleba on Monday to discuss the current global security and political situation and opportunities for bilateral economic cooperation in such circumstances.

The citizens of North Macedonia no longer consider Greece as a threat to their country but they remain concerned about Bulgaria and Russia, a survey of five Balkan countries has found.

The opinion poll, conducted by Ipsos on behalf of the US-based International Republican Institute (IRI), also found that Albanians consider Greece a serious threat to their country.

BELGRADE - A total 153,155 foreign tourists, mostly Bulgarians (14,278) and Russians (14,122), visited Serbia in March, which was a 9.7 pct increase y-o-y.

Tourists from the region - Bosnia and Herzegovina (12,983), Croatia (11,486) and North Macedonia (10,188) follow, the national statistical office said.

BELGRADE - Serbia registered 11.7 pct more tourist visits in March 2024 relative to the same month of last year and the number of overnight stays was up by 10 pct y-o-y, according to figures released by the national statistical office.

Overnight stays generated by Serbian tourists were up by 10.2 pct y-o-y, while those generated by foreign tourists were up by 9.7 pct y-o-y.

BELGRADE - Serbian PM Designate Milos Vucevic said on Wednesday evening Serbia had its "red lines" and that there could be neither a de iure nor a de facto recognition of the so-called Kosovo.

BELGRADE - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Monday the chances of the so-called Kosovo becoming a Council of Europe (CoE) member remained very high but that Serbia was doing everything in its power to prevent that from happening.

"We are proud of that because, that way, we respect European rules," he said.

BELGRADE - Serbian First Deputy PM and FM Ivica Dacic said on Wednesday Serbia's charge d'affaires in Ljubljana had rejected allegations by the Slovenian foreign ministry about a statement by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic over which the diplomat had been summoned by the ministry.

BELGRADE - Serbian Parliament Speaker Ana Brnabic said on Tuesday Serbia's manoeuvring space regarding a proposal to admit the so-called Kosovo to the Council of Europe (CoE) was very small, but noted that "the truth and justice are on our side."

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis reaffirmed Greece's commitment to supporting the European Union integration efforts of Western Balkan countries during his Wednesday meeting with Montenegro's Prime Minister Milojko Spajic.