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V4 countries will keep working together on migration, infrastructure: Polish FM

07.12.2022 01:00
Poland’s foreign minister has said that the Visegrad Group (V4) of Central European countries will continue to cooperate on issues such as migration, transport and infrastructure. 
Polands Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau (centre) talks to reporters after a meeting of top diplomats from the Visegrad Group of Central European countries, in Bratislava, Slovakia, on Tuesday, December 6, 2022.
Poland's Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau (centre) talks to reporters after a meeting of top diplomats from the Visegrad Group of Central European countries, in Bratislava, Slovakia, on Tuesday, December 6, 2022.PAP/Mateusz Marek

Zbigniew Rau made the declaration after a meeting of top diplomats from the V4 countries in the Slovak capital Bratislava on Tuesday, public broadcaster Polish Radio’s IAR news agency reported.

Tuesday’s get-together was the first in several months to feature the foreign ministers of all the V4 member countries, Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Hungary, officials said. 

The talks focused on the future of the V4 in the new international situation following Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, Poland’s foreign ministry said in a statement. 

Support for Ukraine

The Polish foreign minister appealed for “unity and determination” in supporting Ukraine. He stressed that Ukraine must be helped “in defending itself against the Russian invasion, in the postwar reconstruction of the country and in its future European integration,” according to officials.  

Rau, Slovakia’s Rastislav Kacer, the Czech Republic’s Jan Lipavský and Hungary’s Peter Szijjártó also discussed the development of Central Europe in the coming years and the role of the V4 format in this process, reporters were told. 

At a joint news conference afterwards, Poland’s Rau said: “Our countries share many structural and socio-economic similarities, as well similar interests in many policy areas of the European Union.”

Rau said: “We talked about several issues that unite us.”

Immigration, infrastructure, transport

He told reporters: “We promised each other to continue to work together, confirming our stance so far on such issues as immigration, infrastructure, transport, but also the Visegrad Fund.”       

Rau said the V4 foreign ministers agreed to convene regularly and speak together on matters on which there is agreement.

“Together we are much more effective and it’s the only way we can achieve shared success in our part of Europe,” Rau added.  

Wednesday is day 287 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.

(pm/gs)

Source: IAR, PAP, gov.pl