Belgrade, 7 June 2022 (MIA) – Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said Open Balkan was a great initiative that is in the interest of the citizens in the region and is not a substitute for the EU, MIA’s Belgrade correspondent reports. Vučić is taking part in the Open Balkan Summit on June 7-8 in Ohrid. He pointed out that he was the most vocal supporter in terms of the EU starting accession negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania. "An Open Balkan is not a substitute for the EU - it is a special initiative that brings cooperation between the nations and states here," Vučić said. He added that the Open Balkan was "an extraordinary initiative, in the interest of the citizens, from which we only benefit and no one can say anything against it." “I thank everyone in the world who cares, who wish well to the initiative, but it is our initiative, of our people, and I’m proud of it,” said Vučić. In addition, the President of Serbia said that everyone is welcome to join the Open Balkan initiative, including Pristina. "If you want to resolve the issue of whether we want each other to have enough flour, electricity and gas, these are issues for the Open Balkans," Vučić said, noting that other issues are being discussed in Brussels and that it has been decided by a resolution of the UN Security Council.