Prime Ministers Andrej Babiš, Donald Tusk, Robert Fico and Péter Magyar met in Gödöllő. The head of the Hungarian government reminded that Visegrad cooperation was established 35 years ago.
“Together we can be even more successful. We want a V4 that has results, is strong and is a trusted voice in Europe,” said Magyar.
The Prime Ministers will meet in this format before every important meeting of the European Union, so that they can promote their interests together. “The heart of Europe beats in Central Europe,” added Magyar.
“This is the future of Europe, and I believe that we will work great,” added Prime Minister Babiš. The Czech Prime Minister expressed his joy that the V4 is working again and welcomed the agreement to resume cooperation. “I’m excited about it, I’m looking forward to being on the same boat again,” said the Czech Prime Minister.
Polish Prime Minister Tusk emphasized that V4 cooperation must be based on complete trust. According to Slovak Prime Minister Fico, the goal of the upcoming Slovak V4 presidency is to preserve the competitiveness of the European Union and eliminate existing regional differences. “The next point will be the reduction of European energy prices,” said Fico.
Meeting Babiš – Magyar
Before the Visegrad summit, the Czech prime minister also held bilateral negotiations with his Hungarian counterpart. Babiš pointed to significant Hungarian investments in the Czech Republic, for example in Aero Vodochody, and described the cooperation as very successful.
Visegrad cooperation has been weakened in recent years mainly due to different views on the war that Russia started in February 2022 with its large-scale military invasion of Ukraine. Magyar’s predecessor at the head of the Hungarian government maintained good relations with Moscow despite Russian aggression.
