Blanar: V4 Boasts Potential to Promote Interests of Central European Region

Limassol/Bratislava, 28 May (TASR) - Slovakia wants to restore the momentum of regional cooperation during its upcoming presidency of the Visegrad Four Group (V4: The Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia) and focus on areas in which the V4 countries share common interests and deliver practical results for their people, Foreign and European Affairs Minister Juraj Blanar declared on Thursday after talks with his Polish counterpart Radoslaw Sikorski on the sidelines of an informal summit of EU foreign ministers in Limassol, Cyprus. The ministry's press department informed TASR about the meeting. Preparations for Slovakia's V4 presidency, slated to begin as of 1 July 2026, were among the main issues of the talks. Blanar said that Slovakia intends to focus during its one-year presidency primarily on European competitiveness, energy security, EU enlargement, sectoral cooperation and strengthening people-to-people contacts. The two ministers expressed support for developing cooperation with other international partners within the V4+ format. Blanar also discussed this issue with Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar during the meeting in Limassol. The talks with Sikorski also focused on Slovak-Polish relations and the development of cross-border cooperation. Blanar praised the intensive political dialogue between the two countries, including more intense parliamentary contacts, and highlighted a planned memorandum between the prime ministers on cross-border development. "We're interested in giving the Slovak-Polish partnership an even stronger practical dimension via concrete projects and joint activities," said the Slovak foreign minister. In addition, he highlighted the contribution of the Carpathian Initiative towards firming up regional cooperation and developing cross-border connectivity between Slovakia, Poland and Ukraine. Another major issue was the Three Seas Initiative, a platform of 13 European Union-member states focused on developing transport, energy and digital infrastructure in the region between the Baltic, Adriatic and Black seas. Slovakia will host the initiative's summit in the spring of 2027. "Slovakia wants to build on previous Three Seas presidencies and focus not only on infrastructure projects but also on innovation, digital development and artificial intelligence," said Blanar. The ministers also discussed the latest developments related to the war in Ukraine and the need to continue diplomatic initiatives aimed at achieving a just and lasting peace. Blanar confirmed that Slovakia's strategic interest remains focused on a peaceful, stable and prosperous Ukraine with the prospect of EU membership once all conditions are met. In this context, he informed the Polish minister about the upcoming fourth joint meeting of the Slovak and Ukrainian governments due to take place in June, and about concrete outcomes from previous meetings in the form of projects helping to mitigate the consequences of the war in Ukraine. mf/df