Vucic expects chapters to be opened soon

Vucic expects chapters to be opened soon

We will soon have the opportunity to open the chapters - perhaps even sooner than many people expect, Vucic told reporters after attending the European Forum Wachau in Austria.

Serbia will not accept pressure from the Pristina side in the dialogue in order to be able to open the first chapters in the accession talks as soon as possible, and Belgrade cannot accept Pristina's proposals that are unacceptable to Kosovo and Metohija Serbs, Dacic said.

Talks are ahead on four topics in the dialogue with Pristina - on establishing the community of Serb municipalities and on telecommunications, energy and the bridge on the River Ibar, which connects the two parts of Kosovska Mitrovica, northern Kosovo and Metohija, he said.

The prime minister noted that the community of Serb municipalities is the most significant issue, adding that Pristina has requested that the community be a non-governmental organization pursuant to its laws, but that Belgrade cannot accept this. (end) ljm/rd

Speaking earlier, during the gathering on Sunday, he added that "preserving stability in the region is a priority for Serbia because the economic reform will not produce results without regional stability," and noted that "Belgrade should not be blackmailed with Kosovo."

Vucic warned that there are many worrying signals in terms of regional stability, as well as developments that are a much bigger problem than Serbian-Albanian relations.

Still, Serbia is being blackmailed with Kosovo, Vucic said.

The screening process is complete, but not a single chapter in the EU accession negotiations has been opened because some European countries are waiting for certain Kosovo-related issues to be solved first, Vucic said.

"I am particularly worried by regional stability, into which Serbia has invested much," the prime minister noted.

He said that "28 people have been killed in Macedonia recently" and that he would like to see more stability in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Those problems are bigger than the one between the Serbs and Albanians, although it is a very complex relationship and it is not easy to define and solve all the problems, Vucic underscored.