New cooperation prospects within the Visegrad Group
20.06.2021
The Visegrad Group is a symbol of partnership among the Central European countries. As Minister Mariusz Błaszczak pointed out during the meeting of the V4 ministers, it is an extremely important forum to exchange views and develop common solutions, also in the military sphere, which can be implemented internationally, in cooperation with allies or the EU.
“Today, we cooperate in many formats in our international relations. I am very pleased that I can host my friends today: the ministers of defence of the Visegrad Group countries, because we are building the security system of our countries and all of Europe together in this format,” said Mariusz Błaszczak, Polish Minister of National Defence during the meeting of the ministers of defence of the Visegrad countries.
A two-day forum of the heads of the V4 defence ministries was opened in Gdynia on Sunday, 20 June. The attending ministers of defence: Poland’s Mariusz Błaszczak, Hungary’s Tibor Benkő, Slovakia’s Jaroslav Nad and Czech Deputy Minister Jan Havránek, will summarise the V4 cooperation during the Polish presidency of the Visegrad Group, which has continued since 30 June 2020. They will discuss progress in jointly implemented defence projects, including preparations of the EU Visegrad Battlegroup for duty in 2023.
“We cooperate through joint exercises held for our soldiers. We cooperate by creating interoperability rules for our troops, and by exchanging experience and information. In this way, we are building security in our part of Europe. We cooperate within the North Atlantic Alliance and the European Union. We are going to discuss closer cooperation and joint initiatives. One topic, for example, is to set up a V4 Battlegroup again. We will have the opportunity to visit the headquarters of the Multinational Division North East in Elbląg, with soldiers from all our countries serving there. This is a tangible example of our cooperation, but certainly not the only one,” said Minister Błaszczak while opening the forum in Gdynia.
The Visegrad Group (V4) is one of the main cooperation formats of Central European countries, and includes Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary. The Visegrad Group was officially founded on 15 February 1991. The Group was originally established to offer mutual support on the path towards the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Today, cooperation takes place at many levels. Starting from 1 July 2020, Poland has held the annual presidency of the V4 and will pass the baton to Hungary on 30 June 2021.
On Monday, 21 June, on the second day of the forum, at the end of the plenary session, the ministers of the Visegrad countries will sign a letter of intent on cooperation in the field of strategic communication. Minister Mariusz Błaszczak will sign a Polish-Czech agreement on mutual defence cooperation, which will replace the existing agreement.
