Vucic: Cluster 3 to be opened, respect given to Serbia more important

BRUSSELS - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Thursday Cluster 3 in Serbia's EU accession talks would quite certainly be opened in late January or early February but that a positive signal and respect given to Serbia in Brussels were much more important.

"To be completely frank - we will open Cluster 3 at the end of January or at the beginning of February. But the signal Serbia was given here - respect - is much more important than that," Vucic said in response to questions from reporters after a European People's Party-Western Balkans summit in Brussels.

He said the number of countries opposing the opening of the cluster had shrunk from eight to two, and added that he expected the issue to be resolved.

"The atmosphere here is good. I regret that some in Pristina, and in Belgrade, tried to erode Serbia's reputation and worked hard to knock down Serbia...