Hungarian President Katalin Novak has proposed increasing donations to the Visegrad Fund. We will certainly consider this and propose it to our prime ministers, President Andrzej Duda said after the meeting of the presidents of the Visegrad Group countries in Prague. In turn, Czech President Petr Pavel spoke about the return to the roots of the Visegrad Group: transatlantic relations and good neighborly relations. He added that the countries maintain good relations despite changing authorities. “We need to know where there is room for cooperation and where we differ,” Pavel said.
Priorities of the Czech Presidency in the V4
On Wednesday, the Visegrad Group Summit took place in Prague with the participation of the presidents of four countries: President Andrzej Duda, Czech President Petr Pavel, Slovak President Zuzana Czaputova and Hungarian President Katalin Novak.
At the conference after the meeting of heads of state, President Pavel said that the Czech presidency of the Visegrad Group focuses on “actions for the citizens.”
Our presidency is trying to return to the roots of the Visegrad Four: transatlantic relations, good neighborly relations. (…) Even though the authorities of the V4 countries are changing, we are trying to maintain good relations with neighboring countries. It is important that we know each other’s points of view, that we know where we have common ground and where we can work together, and in which areas we differ.
– he declared.
The Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland and Hungary are in Central Europe, so it is clear that we are dealing with similar geopolitical issues. Russian aggression affects us all, which is why supporting Ukraine is essential to our security; it is also a natural human instinct. Russia must bear the consequences of the human sacrifices and damage to Ukraine
– said Pavel, emphasizing that the V4 countries must comprehensively support Ukraine.
Cooperation of the Visegrad Group countries
The Czech president also referred to the situation in the Middle East, which he described as a “great challenge.”
It is in our interests as Europe that the terrorist organization Hamas is defeated, that there is no humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip and that the conflict does not spread to other regions.
– he said.
As he noted, the topic of the summit was also the enlargement of the European Union.
I am convinced that we must offer the European Union’s neighboring countries a clear EU perspective. Such a step will not only strengthen our security, but also contribute to strengthening the resilience of Europe as a whole
– said Pavel.
We also talked about specific activities in the field of education, culture and social campaigns that can benefit citizens of all our countries. We discussed cooperation opportunities in infrastructure that have the potential to modernize our economies, such as the road network or the high-speed railway
– added the Czech president.
I believe that we will continue to strive to maintain an appropriate level of cooperation and that together we will implement the priorities that we identified during the Presidency of the Czech Republic.
– Pavel also stated it.
Proposal to increase the Visegrad Fund
At a joint press conference after the meeting, Polish President Andrzej Duda emphasized that the main topics of the talks included: The Visegrad Fund and its impact on development in Central and Eastern Europe.
He said Hungarian President Katalin Novak proposed increasing donations to the Visegrad Fund.
We will certainly consider it and submit it to our Prime Ministers
– announced President Duda.
Another important element of the conversation was – as President Duda reported – infrastructure development, economic development and security.
We talked very broadly about infrastructure development, I emphasized the great importance of our Visegrad Four, here in the heart of Central Europe, also for the development of the Three Seas Initiative
– said Andrzej Duda. He added that the Visegrad Group is “the heart of the Three Seas Initiative.”
Among other things, he drew attention to the importance of investments: in new roads and rail connections, not only for the development, but also for the security of the countries in the region. President Duda said that the development of communications networks will, among other things, allow the movement of aid to Ukraine from Baltic ports.
Andrzej Duda emphasized that the V4 presidents also discussed further support for Ukraine.
We all agree that Ukraine still needs support and that Ukraine must be supported
– emphasized the President of Poland.
V4 countries must become more innovative
During the joint conference, the President of Slovakia said that the discussions included activities of the Visegrad Fund, which – as she said – is an important instrument for cooperation between the V4 countries.
She said that support for an innovative and integrated economy was also discussed.
34 years after the fall of the Iron Curtain, I can say that we are successful countries because we have been able to make the transition from a planned economy to a market economy in a short time, partly thanks to the reforms and accession to the EU. Now we must move on from the so-called “assembly countries” and we must become countries that focus on research and development that create added value
– said Zuzana Czaputova.
As she emphasized, the Slovak government has adopted a development and innovation strategy until 2030, which provides for investments in research and development to “make Slovakia more competitive and a better partner for cooperation, including with the countries of the Visegrad Group.” She added that in addition to investing in research and development, it is also important to implement changes in education and the labor market.
Czaputova said that the meeting also discussed the issue of road and rail connections between the V4 countries and the issue of strengthening energy independence.
As she said, the topic of the talks was also the international situation, in particular in connection with Russian aggression against Ukraine.
Our assistance to Ukraine is important and sensible because maintaining stability in our region is in our common interest
– noted the President of Slovakia.
V4 wants to continue helping Ukraine
In turn, Hungarian President Katalin Novak emphasized that the Visegrad Group’s cooperation “is vibrant and has a great future ahead.”
We would like to inform everyone who thought that the Visegrad Four was a non-existent unit that no, we continue to exist and we still maintain contacts.
– she noted.
The Visegrad Group is the heart of Europe and also guarantees safety. I can say that we are an oasis of safety in Europe
– said the Hungarian president. In this context, she stressed the importance of protecting the external borders of the Schengen area.
As she explained, during the meeting the presidents of the V4 countries discussed, among other things: about the war in Ukraine.
We have a common position in this context: Russia cannot win this war. We want to help Ukraine as much as possible so that it can protect its country and its people in this war. We also discussed the assistance we provide to Ukraine. We will continue to try to help Ukraine
– she stated.
The presidents also raised the issue of war in the Middle East. Novak emphasized that Israel has been brutally attacked and “is convinced of defense, wants to defend itself.” V4 agrees – as she noted – that the escalation of this conflict must be prevented and that the number of civilian casualties must be kept to a minimum.
The Hungarian president also called on Hamas to release hostage Hungarian citizens, which – as she said – “is also an important aspect for ending the state of conflict and resolving the situation peacefully.” She also assured that Jewish citizens are safe in Hungary.
Another topic discussed by the presidents was cooperation in areas including: energy, including nuclear energy.
I would also like to emphasize that we must create energy independence for our countries in the long term. So that we can become independent from Russia, so that we can safely switch to other energy sources
– said the Hungarian president.
Novak also referred to the situation at the internal borders in the Schengen area.
We want open borders to be important, not only for Hungary, so that we do not renew border controls. We want traveling through Europe to be seamless and barrier-free in the future. That is why I have asked my colleagues for cooperation and their input to reduce border controls
– she noted.
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wkt/PAP
Source: wPolityce
Emma Matthew is a political analyst for “Social Bites”. With a keen understanding of the inner workings of government and a passion for politics, she provides insightful and informative coverage of the latest political developments.