Aleksandar Vucic has told Angela Merkel he believes the Regional Economic Zone and the Nis-Pristina highway is of great importance to the Western Balkans.

The Serbian president Vucic asked the German chancellor Merkel to use her reputation and authority to speed up the realization of these two projects, Tanjug reported.

"Serbs and Albanians - Which Way Further?" is the theme of an international conference to be organized by Tanjug and Albanian ATA news agencies.

Tanjug announced the event would take place in Belgrade on Tuesday at Hotel Metropol Palace.

Pope Francis' visit would be of state and national interest to Serbia, which is why it is important to achieve consensus in our country, says Ivica Dacic.

The foreign minister and first deputy PM also said that the role of the Vatican is invaluable as Serbia fights for Kosovo and Metohija. Dacic added that he understands the opposiiton of the Serbian Orthodox Church to the visit, but that the pope is not only a religious leader, but also a statesman.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit Serbia in the fall, Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said on Friday morning.

"I was told by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov with whom I spoke in Moscow yesterday, that this was being planned," Dacic told RTS.
Dacic also said Lavrov told him that if the format of the Kosovo negotiations in Brussels were to be expanded, Moscow would be ready to participate.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic spoke on the phone with US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Wess Mitchell on Wednesday.

President Aleksandar Vucic has not yet received an invitation to continue the dialogue, says the Cabinet of the President of the Republic to Belgrade based agency Tanjug.

Serbs in Kosovo do not support the formation of an army in Kosovo, and it will not be formed, Serbian Defense Minister Aleksandar Vulin has said.

On Ramush Haradinaj's statement that "Kosovo will agree to reconciliation with Serbia in return for recognition of independence," Serbian Defense Minister Aleksandar Vulin asked him: "Did you come up with it yourself, or did someone help you?", reported Radio Television of Serbia (RTS).

The head of the government office for Kosovo and Metohija, Marko Djuric, said on the same occasion that there was no justification for separatism, violence and violation of international law, reported RTS.

The opening of the bridge on the Ibar is not on the agenda because the reconstruction is in progress, and the assessment is that along to the technical, and the security conditions were not met, says mayor of North Mitrovica Goran Rakic to Belgrade based agency Tanjug.

President Aleksandar Vucic and Serbia all the time point out and warn that Pristina is not interested in technical or other negotiations, and that they are not interested in the signed agreement on the Community/Association of Serb Municipalities (ZSO), says the Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Marko Djuric.