Accessibility links

Breaking News

Nikolic To Be Sworn In, As Balkan Leaders Steer Clear


Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic
Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic
Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic is set to be formally sworn in at a ceremony in the capital Belgrade.

The nationalist Nikolic, who beat pro-Western incumbent Boris Tadic in an election last month, officially became president on May 31 but will hold an inauguration on June 11.

Fellow Balkan leaders from Croatia, Bosnia, and Slovenia have turned down invitations to the ceremony, citing controversial remarks by Nikolic on massacres at Vukovar and Srebrenica during the 1990s Balkan wars.

Ahead of his swearing-in, Nikolic is due to meet with EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fule to discuss Serbia's bid to join the 27-member bloc.

Nikolic will travel to Brussels on June 14 in his first official trip as president.

With reporting by AFP

RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government.

If you are in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine and hold a Russian passport or are a stateless person residing permanently in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine, please note that you could face fines or imprisonment for sharing, liking, commenting on, or saving our content, or for contacting us.

To find out more, click here.

XS
SM
MD
LG