The Czech Republic took over the Visegrad Group (V4) presidency from Slovakia for a one-year term, intending to continue on the previous administration’s efforts to “return to the roots of cooperation.”
The V4 was formed in 1991 and comprises of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia, according to the Xinhua news agency.
According to the Czech presidential program released on Saturday, the Czech presidency will focus on three pillars: a secure and progressive society, an innovative and linked economy, and the Russia-Ukraine war and its consequences.
The Czech Republic continues to regard the V4 format as “a traditional, Central European platform for cultivating good neighbourly relations through dialogue and practical human-centered cooperation, to bring specific benefits for the citizens of the V4 countries,” said the program.
In addition, the Czech presidency will continue V4 collaboration with foreign partners. It would keep support for “an ambitious EU enlargement policy high on its agenda as a long-standing priority” on the agenda.
In addition, the Czech presidency called for “clear, firm, and concrete support” for Ukraine. The V4 nations, however, disagree on military help to Ukraine, according to the Czech News Agency. Their approaches to revising the EU’s migration regulations differ as well.
The V4 is a cultural and political alliance formed by four Central European countries to advance military, cultural, economic, and energy cooperation. The rotating V4 presidency typically lasts from early July to the end of June the following year.
