President Sulyok: The Visegrad Countries Represent a Pro-Peace Position

Although many have written it off, the V4 has once again proven to be a necessary and effective form of cooperation, President Tamas Sulyok declared in Wisla, Poland, where the heads of state of the Visegrad countries (Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic, and Slovakia) met.

Meeting between the presidents of the Visegrad countries (Source: Facebook)

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)