Vucic: Serbia must continue on EU path while safeguarding its interests

BELGRADE - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Wednesday evening it was good Serbia had made progress on 31 out of 34 chapters of the EU accession talks and that it was important for the country to move forward on the EU path while safeguarding its national interests.

"I think it is important that progress is noted on 31 out of 34 chapters. For the sake of our democracy, it is important that special progress is evident in the media sphere, which is also important because of the many untruths that have been told lately," Vucic said in an interview on Prva TV, in a comment on the European Commission's annual progress report on Serbia.

He added that there was still much to be done.

"There are obstacles, difficulties - they are most often associated with Kosovo-Metohija, as you were able to see in the report," Vucic said.

When asked if he was satisfied with the report, Vucic said it was important to make progress, but that economic progress and economic indicators were what he considered the most important.

"There definitely is progress. It is important that progress is evident but, to be quite open, economic indicators are very important to me, and that is why I am happy about the news of the inflation rate declining to 8.5 pct as early as in October," Vucic said, adding that an attempt would be made to lower inflation to 7 pct before the end of the year.