– Central Europe faces significant challenges today, but the dialogue among our countries remains effective. Unfortunately, the Russia-Ukraine war overwrites everything, and the necessity of cooperation cannot be questioned. War has been raging in our neighbor’s territory for more than a thousand days now. We provide assistance to the refugees who keep arriving daily, and we confront human suffering every single day. I hope that next year the guns will finally fall silent in Ukraine, President Sulyok said.
In response to our question, he emphasized that Hungary’s stance has been unwavering since the outbreak of the war and remains unchanged.
Within the V4, I see that views on the war are shifting because today’s meeting fundamentally focused on peace, the possibilities of peace, and post-war opportunities for action. Our position has not changed, while the positions of others are moving toward ours,
– he highlighted.
President Sulyok pointed out that dangers exist farther from our region as well, citing the Middle East as an example.
We must do everything in our power to prevent the conflict in the Middle East from spreading further. Maintaining the region’s stability is clearly in our interest. It is of utmost importance for our region, too, that no extremist ideology or group can take control of the Middle East or any of its nations,
– Mr. Sulyok stated. He stressed the importance of fully respecting the rights of religious communities and minorities and ensuring their safety. "Hungary, as in the past and going forward, will continue to focus on the Christian communities living in the region, providing humanitarian assistance to them,” he said.
The president also noted that Hungary’s EU presidency will conclude in a few days, marking the second time the country has held the role since joining the bloc. Mr. Sulyok pointed out that despite this six-month period being primarily about institutional changes, there have been numerous significant policy achievements.
– “I consider it particularly noteworthy that Budapest hosted the European Political Community summit at the beginning of November. Regarding the future of the entire EU, it is of great significance that the European Council adopted the Budapest Declaration on the new European Competitiveness Agreement during its informal meeting on November 8. Additionally, just last Monday, the governments of member states agreed on the guidelines for the Common Agricultural Policy beyond 2027, aimed at creating a competitive, crisis-resistant, sustainable, farmer-friendly, and knowledge-based agricultural sector,” he said. Hungary strongly supported Romania's and Bulgaria’s swift accession to the Schengen Area, he added.
We are proud that the Council approved this last Thursday, meaning that border controls on land borders will be lifted for these two countries next spring. I sincerely hope that in the coming days, member states will reach a consensus on the next steps to be taken regarding EU enlargement,
– Mr. Sulyok emphasized. He also underscored that in the current geopolitical climate, it is particularly significant that under Hungarian leadership, the Council adopted a declaration in October promoting the protection of Jewish life and combating antisemitism.
At the press conference, Polish President Andrzej Duda emphasized that all parties agreed that negotiations to end Russia's aggression against Ukraine must always involve Ukraine.
– We discussed various proposals for ending the conflict that have emerged publicly. I specifically reported on my recent meeting with President Emmanuel Macron,” he emphasized. The second part of the presidential talks focused on crisis management and civil protection. This topic arose primarily in light of the floods that struck Poland and the Czech Republic three months ago.
President Duda also noted that discussions included the development of flood prevention and communications infrastructure.
He said he proposed the establishment of a joint group of experts, with its representatives appointed by the presidents.
The discussions would cover cooperation areas such as mutual alerts or information exchange between local and regional services. This would enable closer cooperation among the states, Mr. Duda highlighted.
Slovak President Peter Pellegrini emphasized that it is increasingly clear the Visegrad countries’ leaders are starting to take a pragmatic approach to the war in Ukraine.
We all feel that both sides - Russia and Ukraine - must be pressured to sit at the negotiating table as soon as possible. We must end the bloodshed as swiftly as possible and begin thinking about what comes next - what will happen in the region after the war. This, of course, is no easy task,
– he said.
Czech President Petr Pavel pointed out that the discussion also touched on the opportunities presented by the upcoming U.S. elections, the future of the EU, and reports on economic and security issues. “We agreed that - due to the expected pressure on Europe from the newly elected U.S. President Donald Trump - we must take greater responsibility for ourselves. This will require not only increased defense spending but also broader initiatives and more decisive steps to make Europe more competitive in the global arena,” the Czech President stated.
Cover photo: Meeting between the presidents of the Visegrad countries (Source: Facebook)
