Foreign relations of Serbia

The Serbian government announced this, quoting Brnabic as saying that "the Balkans needs Europe, but that the Balkans is also needed by Europe."

Brnabic said that European integration of the countries of the Western Balkans is an important factor for the future of the region.

According to her, the responsibility for this lies with the European Union because it was not sufficiently engaged in the region.

"There is a (foreign) influence, it is our fault, we are not sufficiently present and engaged in the Western Balkan countries," Zaharieva told European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs, Beta reported, quoting Radio Free Europe.

The EU will present its enlargement strategy, "The Credible Enlargement Perspective for the Western Balkans," on February 6.

This will happen during a plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, Tanjug reported on Monday citing the European Western Balkans website, which said it learned this exclusively.

Abe is visiting Serbia within his tour of six Eastern European countries. His host in Belgrade is Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.

Vucic, Brnabic and members of the Serbian government officially welcomed Abe in front of the Palace of Serbia.

Montenegro and Serbia should be ready for EU membership in 2025 and Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, and Macedonia should be well-advanced on their path to EU accession by then, according to a draft of the European Commission's Western Balkans strategy seen by RFE/RL.

BELGRADE - Through a wise, balanced policy, Serbia has been promoting its national interests - in particular, the protection of its territorial integrity and sovereignty - and continuing activities aimed at achieving its key foreign policy priority - full EU integration, FM Ivica Dacic said on Friday.

BELGRADE - Serbia and Russia are improving their bilateral ties and maintaining good cooperation that is aimed against no one, Russian Ambassador to Serbia Alexander Chepurin said on Friday.

BELGRADE - Serbia is working intensively on fulfilling the European agenda to open more chapters in its EU accession process, President Aleksandar Vucic said at a meeting with EU Delegation head Sem Fabrizi on Wednesday.

They agreed Serbia needed to work on negotiation chapters 23 and 24 more energetically, the presidential press office said.

BELGRADE - Serbia is placed 41st in the 2018 Henley Passport index, which ranks all the passports of the world according to the number of countries their holders can travel to visa-free.

Serbian citizens can travel to 119 countries without visas.

Tanjug file photo, O. Toskic

BELGRADE - A trilateral meeting of the foreign ministers of Serbia, Italy and Albania Ivica Dacic, Angelino Alfano and Ditmir Bushati, originally scheduled for January 9, will be held in Belgrade on February 27, the Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Tuesday.

The trilateral meeting was postponed due to Alfano's illness.