The V4 Cooperation is Exemplary

He also said that currently a competition is taking place in the European Union to see who can receive more migrants, who can give up the European values more quickly. “We are not partners in this, we believe in the competition (…) for protecting as effectively as possible the Schengen borders, our values, European values and European Christian values. In this, we are willing to compete with any European state", he emphasized.

The invited guests and the host also reviewed the issues of terrorism and migration, discussed the demographic situation, hybrid warfare and the current state of the information revolution. Further topics of discussion included the deepening of relations with NATO, the cooperation between the North Atlantic Alliance and the European Union, and the participants agreed that they are all stakeholders in those EU initiatives which promote the protection of external borders and joint action in crisis situations.

Slovak Defence Minister Peter Gajdos said that the voice of the V4 is heard both in NATO and the EU. The four countries must address the issue of migration and the ways of taking more effective measures against terrorism. He said it was clear that the police has a primary role in combating illegal migration, while the military has a supportive role in it. He added that the joint law enforcement and military exercises have so far proven that the V4 countries are cooperating at a very high level.

According to Czech Defence Minister Karla Slechtová, beyond the above, the topics of the discussion also included the system of the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) of the European Union. They agreed that they do not support any duplications between NATO and the EU, and declared this at ministerial meetings of the two organizations too, she noted. All sides agreed that the armed forces of the V4 countries must assist with peace enforcement in conflict zones. The sides expressed hope that a cooperation agreement on the establishment of the V4 logistic support command will soon be ready for signature.

Polish Deputy Minister of National Defence Tomasz Szatkowski said that the Visegrád Four countries agree on all the key issues such as NATO or the European defence policy. He emphasized that the V4 is the token of success, it symbolizes success, adding that at the same time, cooperation must be enhanced, for example on account of the migration crisis.

After the discussion, the Defence Ministers and Deputy Defence Ministers of the V4 and the Central European Defence Cooperation (CEDC) attended a welcome ceremony with military honors in Heroes’ Square, where they laid wreaths at the tomb of the unknown soldier.

Photo: Veronika Dévényi and László Tóth