SLOVAK Foreign and European Affairs Minister Miroslav Lajčák is set to head a visit of Visegrad Four countries (V4) foreign ministers to Ukraine on Tuesday, the ministry’s press department told the TASR newswire on December 15.
The visit will take place on the initiative of Slovakia, which currently presides over the V4 (Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary). It should send out a signal that the V4 cares about Ukraine and is determined to support it actively, stated the Slovak ministry.
Lajčák stressed that this will be one of the first visits paid to Ukraine by European politicians since the new government was formed in Kiev. Ministers of V4 countries will offer Ukraine their expert capacities in specific spheres in carrying out reforms and other changes related to the country’s approximation to the EU.
“Each of the V4 countries will take patronage over spheres in which they have strong expert potential related to their own experience,” Lajčák said, as quoted by TASR. “We’ll announce who’ll cover which spheres after the talks in Kiev.”
Within the bilateral part of the visit, Lajčák and Ukrainian representatives will debate the issue of a joint session of the Slovak and Ukrainian governments set to be held probably in early 2015.
In addition, Lajčák will hand over the latest part of humanitarian aid to Ukraine worth €75,000. The Foreign Ministry noted that this will be the fourth such shipment, and that this time it should tackle the deteriorating situation in eastern Ukraine due to the arrival of winter. The shipment contains medicaments, bandages and disinfecting material provided as a result of joint cooperation between the Slovak ministries of health, defence, interior and foreign affairs.
Source: TASR
Compiled by Roman Cuprik from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
