Following the Visegrad Group summit (3-4 December), Czech president Petr Pavel confirmed his agreement with Slovak president Peter Pellegrini on further enlargement of the EU. The Hungarian president Tamás Sulyok stressed the common past of the region, and Polish president Karol Nawrocki stressed the importance of transatlantic ties.
A gathering of the leaders was held within the Hungarian V4 Presidency. The talks afraid the competitiveness of the European economy, innovation and artificial intelligence. The activities of the global Visegrad Fund were assessed and current global and regional issues were discussed.
T.Sulyok pointed out that AI improvement marks a historical breakthrough and requires transparency. He besides stressed the precedence of safety and the cultural and historical dimension of Central Europe.
Mr Pellegrini described the V4 as “a voice of sobriety and consideration” and a platform for agreement despite differences. He considered the strong economy and cooperation with another regions a priority. He advocated integrating the Western Balkan countries into the EU. Mr Pavel supported this direction and welcomed the work of the Visegrad Fund, which supports V4, Ukraine and the Balkan countries. He considered it crucial to make good neighbourly relations and open discussion where V4 members disagree in opinions. The cooperation is seen in education, science, research, transport and energy.
K.Nawrocki presented the main principles of cooperation in V4: coordination of neighbouring activities, consequence to shared threats and mitigation of conflicting interests. He pointed out the request to further make the region's energy infrastructure, peculiarly in the electricity and gas sector, which is linked to its energy sovereignty. He pointed out that Poland – thanks to its position on the Baltic – is taking joint work for gas supplies and spoke to US president Donald Trump. He stressed the importance of transatlantic ties in the context of the Russian threat.
The V4 countries had previously shared an attitude towards the military aid of Ukraine, whose critics are Bratislava and Budapest. On the another hand, strengthening cooperation within V4 announces the formation of the Czech government of ANO, SPD and Motorists.
Nawrocki was scheduled to meet Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in Budapest, but cancelled the interview due to Orban's fresh visit to Moscow. His decision was praised by Ukrainian abroad Minister Andry Sybiha. According to the expert Péter Tarjányi, Orbán's expedition to Putin caused “historic reflection” in Poland related to Russian occupations and besides poses a moral problem for Poles.
Source: ČTK
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