WARSAW - Newly elected Polish President Karol Nawrocki has expressed his support for strengthening cooperation between the Visegrad Group (V4) countries, which, in addition to Poland, also includes the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary. He said regional coordination is crucial for the security, stability and further development of Central Europe. PAP news agency reported today.
"We need to restore trust and intensify dialogue within Visegrad. Common values, cultural proximity and historical ties are the basis on which we can build," Nawrocki said during his speech in Warsaw. He stressed that without strong cooperation within the region, it is impossible to face the current geopolitical challenges, such as Russian aggression against Ukraine or energy security.
The functioning of the V4 in recent years has been weakened by the different attitudes of the member states towards the war in Ukraine. While Poland and the Czech Republic have taken a clearly pro-Western and anti-Russian stance, Hungary under Viktor Orbán has long been pro-Russian. Slovakia has seen a change of course since Robert Fico's government took office last year.
Nawrocki wants to push for the restoration of V4 unity through practical cooperation in the fields of defence, energy, transport infrastructure and youth exchanges. He believes that Central Europe can play a significant role in strengthening European identity and self-sufficiency.
The regional dimension is to dominate the foreign policy priorities of Nawrocki's presidential mandate. In the coming weeks, he plans official visits to all three V4 partner countries.
gnews.cz - GH
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