Central Europe’s Visegrad Four reunites as leaders meet in Hungary for key summit
Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar hosted the leaders of Slovakia, Poland and the Czech Republic in Gödöllő on Tuesday, June 23, for a summit aimed at revitalising the Visegrad Four (V4) after years of political divisions.
Opening the meeting, Magyar described the gathering as a new chapter for the Central European alliance.
“The V4 is back. The cooperation of the Visegrad Four has returned,” he said.
Magyar presented the summit as a sign of Hungary’s renewed commitment to regional cooperation following years of strained relations with several European Union partners under former Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
“The Visegrad countries continue to support the European integration of the Western Balkan countries,” he said.
He argued that the stability, development and European aspirations of the Western Balkans are closely linked to Europe’s long-term security and competitiveness.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, whose country is set to assume the V4 presidency from Hungary, said the group was returning at a challenging moment for Europe and the wider world.
“On behalf of the Visegrad Four, I want to say that we do not just want to be objects or subjects of decisions, which they adopt on the grounds of the European Union or other organisations, but we want to be co-creators of these decisions and maximally active participants,” Fico said.
He identified European Union enlargement as a priority for Slovakia’s presidency while stressing that candidate countries must meet the bloc’s accession requirements.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk acknowledged that the four governments continue to hold differing views on several issues but said the V4 could regain influence if cooperation is rebuilt on mutual trust.
“I cannot cooperate with Viktor Orban for the reasons the Hungarians no longer tolerate his leadership,” Tusk said, linking the group's previous difficulties to Hungary’s former leader.
Asked about the absence of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky from the upcoming Ukraine Recovery Conference in Gdansk, Tusk suggested the decision could help avoid “unnecessary tensions” and “escalation”.
The Ukraine Recovery Conference is scheduled to take place on June 25 and 26 and will be jointly hosted by Poland and Ukraine.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
