The party says it “managed, along with Bosnian, Croatian and Macedonian social democrats to prevent the Socialist Party of Serbia to dare apply for membership".

"The SPS did not apply for the SI membership. Thus, the joint idea of the region's social democrats has been accomplished,” a statement from the party said.

The statement continues that this "confirmed that the SI, as the world’s largest association of political parties, still remains the guardian of values of social justice and peace in the region".

The regional initiative against the acceptance of the SPS into the SI was initiated by the leader of Social Democratic Party (SDP) of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Zlatko Lagumdžija.

Last week, he sent letters to the members of the SI, in which he stated that his initiative received support from the SDP of Montenegro and the Macedonian Social-Democrats.

Lagumdžija wrote that, in his opinion, the SPS "must renounce all the wars that party’s founder and lifetime leader Slobodan Milošević started”, but added that it seemed as though the Serbian Socialists did not intend to do so.

The Bosnian politician believes this is evident in the coalition agreement the SPS struck with the Serb Radical Party (SRS) to form Belgrade's local government.

Montenegro’s SDP stated that it would support the application of its coalition partner, the ruling Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS), to upgrade its status in the organization, from guest to full membership.

Other than on the SPS, Lagumdžija has also been focusing on the Republic of Srpska PM Milorad Dodik's Party of the Independent Social Democrats.

He has started proceedings with the SI Ethic Committee to expel this party from membership.

"Three years ago Dodik may have been a social-democrat”, Lagumdžija explained his reasons for the move, adding that Dodik’s party and the SPS "today look alike like twin brothers".