German Chancellor Angela Merkel told reporters on Monday she was convinced that the latest agreements reached in the dialogue with Pristina would give a strong impetus to Serbia's advancement in EU integration, and Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic voiced the hope that the chapters in the EU entry talks with Serbia would be opened over the course of this year.

Merkel and Vucic said this to reporters in Berlin, and then continued talks.

Chancellor Merkel underscored that the latest agreements had constituted a crucial breakthrough, thus contributing to peace in the Western Balkans. These are courageous decisions delivered by Pristina, especially by Belgrade, she said in a news conference in view of the meeting with the Serbian prime minister.

The Serbian prime minister said that he would talk about the country's EU integration in the Bundestag and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, and voiced expectation that the chapters would be opened as soon as possible.

We hope that the chapters will be opened over the course of this year. We have delivered difficult tasks, and we will be delivering them in the future too, Vucic underscored.