Aleksandar Vucic said in Moscow on Tuesday it was "obvious there is increase of tension in the Balkans, and attempts of an overall destabilization of relations."

The Prime Minister of Serbia spoke with reporters on the side-lines of a sitting of the Business Council of Serbia and Russia, and added that "somebody is making a lot of effort" to destabilize relations in the Western Balkans.

The next round of Kosovo talks on June 23 "will be crucial for normalization of relations and opening of (EU) negotiating chapters for Serbia this year."

This is what European Parliament Rapporteur for Serbia David McAllister said in Belgrade on Monday.

"In order to open the first chapter this year both sides will have to demonstrate progress and the next round of dialogue in Brussels will be crucial for normalization of relations between Belgrade and Pristina," he said at the Serbian Economic Summit, according to a Beta agency report.

The latest terrorist attacks in the region "confirm fears that creators of the so-called Greater Albania are not resting," Tomislav Nikolic has said.

"The terrorist attacks, as well as deliberate provocations during the visit of the Tirana delegation (to Serbia) are a signal that the entire region at risk," the Serbian president told Italy's Ansa news agency ahead of the visit of his Italian counterpart.

Deputy Prime Minister Zorana Mihajlovic has said that she "does not know what is written in President Tomislav Nikolic's platform on Kosovo."

"I'm not familiar with the content of the platform, or with whether the platform has arrived to the cabinet. When it does, we will sit down as a team and talk about it," she told reporters in Belgrade on Tuesday.

Mihajlovic spoke after the signing of an agreement on the continuation of the construction of the Zezelj Bridge in Novi Sad.

Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic on Thursday said he "does not know what he can expect" from the announced platform of President Tomislav Nikolic.  

Nikolic said this week that he would send a draft of the platform to Vucic and the government after May 1, the Labor Day holiday.

Vucic added that Nikolic "knows about everything that is asked of Serbia on the road toward the European Union," and that he "does not hide what is talked with the EU," noting that "the topic is always Kosovo."

President Tomislav Nikolic has said that he is "not very optimistic" after his talks with German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Belgrade Tuesday.

Nikolic explained this was the case "because he did not hear from Steinmeier that the chapters in the negotiations with the EU will be opened this year."

"I cannot say that Mr. Steinmeier told me clearly that the chapters will open by the end of the year. True, he said that he thought conditions would be there for that during the year," Nikolic told the daily Vecernje Novosti on Wednesday.

Serbian authorities have "officially informed the Kosovo organs" that Kosovo Deputy PM Hashim Thaci will be arrested if he travels to Belgrade on April 24.

The Beta news agency is reporting this on Monday quoting a source, noting that Thaci was told he would be arrested based on a valid court verdict, and an arrest warrant stemming from the ruling.

Kosovo Foreign Minister and Deputy PM Hashim Thaci has accepted an invitation "to come to Belgrade" on April 24, his deputy has confirmed.

According to Petrit Selimi, Thaci has provided "a preliminary positive reply." He added that "it is now the task for the Serbian authorities to guarantee his safe stay."

Selimi also observed that "the Kosovo government and the police have been able to guarantee complete security to President Nikolic, Prime Minister Vucic and other top-ranked Serbian officials who visited Kosovo."

Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic on Wednesday said that Serbia insists that the conditions for the start of its EU accession negotiations "must be clarified."

"We are not saying we will be conducting a war with the European Union, but we need to make things clear. We are not powerful, but we cannot applaud either," the Serbian minister remarked during a news conference held in Belgrade with his Zambian counterpart.

Asked about his previous statement that Serbia does not accept new conditions in order to open first EU membership negotiations chapters, Dacic replied:

European Commission officials consider EU's reaction to Albanian PM Edi Rama's statements to be "very clear and unambiguous."

This is what the Beta news agency was told on Thursday in Brussels when it asked for comment on Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic's assessment that EU's reaction was lukewarm.