Liberal democracies

BELGRADE - The European Union is a strategic objective for Serbia, but that does not rule out the possibility of cooperation with Russia - an advantage that Serbia intends to use, Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic noted during a meeting with Bulgarian Foreign Minister Kristian Vigenin.

Violonist Alexandru Tomescu on Wednesday will be decorated with the Order of the Star of Italy, the Knight Class, for special merits in promoting the Italian culture.

More and more Bulgarian tourists choose the Serbian capital Belgrade for short holidays or the so-called city breaks.

For the first five months of 2014 the number of Bulgarians, who have traveled to the Serbian capital, increased by 60 percent on an annual basis, said Miodrag Popovic, Director of the Tourist Organization of Belgrade, as quoted by Dnevnik.

Romanian Foreign Minister Titus Corlatean said on Wednesday that Romania will be "very committed" in supporting the priorities of Italy's EU Presidency, adding that Bucharest shares the objective of a "stronger, more integrated" Europe.

"Belgrade is Europe's gate toward Balkans"

BELGRADE -- Viktor Orban said as he met with Tomislav Nikolić that "the EU cannot survive without Serbia" - because Belgrade is "the gate of Europe toward the Balkans."

BELGRADE - Serbian First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic on Monday received Bulgaria's ambassador to Belgrade Angel Simeonov Dimitrov ahead of the upcoming visit of Bulgarian Foreign Minister Kristian Vigenin to Serbia on July 3.

The first group of six Romanian police officers will arrive in Bulgaria on Tuesday to assist the Romanian tourists spending their holiday in the local resorts.

Minister honors Croatian WW2 death camp victims

JADOVNO -- Aleksandar Vulin represented the Serbian government on Sunday at a commemoration held at the grounds of the WW2-era death camp Jadovno in Croatia.

JADOVNO - Serbian Minister of Labour, Employment, Veteran Care and Social Issues Aleksandar Vulin as the representative of the Serbian government attended the commemoration held in former prison camp Jadovno near Gospic in Croatia, on Sunday.

In 1941, around 40,000 prisoners were killed in Jadovno, most of them Serbs, as well as Jews and the Roma.

BELGRADE - June 29 marks the Danube Day, and Serbian Parliament Speaker Maja Gojkovic said on Sunday that it is a significant day because the Danube River connects 14 European countries.