Various methods and apparatuses for prioritizing operation of Relay Node are disclosed. A method for prioritizing the transmission and receipt of uplink signals in a relay node of a wireless communication system is presented. The method comprises determining radio resource requirements for receiving one or more access link signals and/or transmitting one or more backhaul link signal, determining the signal type of the one or more access link signals and/or determining the signal type of the one or more backhaul link signals, and selecting one of a transmitting mode operation and a receiving mode operation based on the radio resource requirements for receiving the one or more access link signals and/or transmitting the one or more backhaul link signals, and based on the signal type of the one or more access link signals and/or the signal type of the one or more backhaul link signals.