Presidential inauguration takes place in Belgrade/VIDEO

Presidential inauguration takes place in Belgrade/VIDEO

According to previous announcements, presidents of Croatia, Macedonia, and Montenegro, Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, Gjorge Ivanov and Filip Vujanovic, as well as all three members of the Presidency of Bosnia-Herzegovina - Mladen Ivanic, Bakir Izetbegovic and Dragan Covic, are in attendance.

Slovenian President Borut Pahor was in Belgrade on Friday and met with Vucic, but left for Ljubljana "due to a previous engagement" without attending the inauguration.

According to RTS, by Thursday evening, 21 delegations from around the world had been welcomed in Belgrade. Organizers expected about 5,000 guests in all, according to announcements earlier in the week.

Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder is at the ceremony as an envoy of Angela Merkel and Walter Steinmeier, as are senior officials from Russia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Italy, Greece, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Belarus and Austria. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin is in Belgrade, as well as Vice President of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress Ji Bingxuan.

As Vucic announced earlier former Serbian presidents Tomislav Nikolic, Milan Milutinovic and Zoran Lilic will attend, Borislav Jovic was expected, while Vojislav Kostunica will be otherwise engaged.

During the ceremony, the Serbian national anthem will be sang by a children's choir. The song "This is Serbia" will be performed after Vucic's address, followed by a toast, and performances of the ensemble Vrelo, the cultural and artistic society Kolo, the music band Una Saga Serbica, and Dejan Petrovic's brass band. After this part of the reception, the guests will tour salons representing different parts of Serbia, and will be served food and drink characteristic of these regions.

Busts of Roman emperors born in the territory of Serbia are placed in the west wing of the Palace of Serbia.

In addition, on display are photographs from the Toplica Uprising, uniforms and portraits of Djordje "Karadjordje" Petrovic and Milos Obrenovic, a model of Nikola Tesla's lab on Long Island, and the first television set produced in the former Yugoslavia.