THE VISEGRAD Group will promote a more ambitious plan vis-a-vis the EU integration efforts of the Eastern Partnership countries, which include Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. The foreign affairs ministers of the Visegrad Group (Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Poland) confirmed this at a meeting with ministers from the Eastern Partnership in Budapest on April 29.
The meeting was attended by the foreign affairs ministers of the Eastern Partnership countries, as well as EU Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Štefan Fule and a representative of Greece, which currently presides over the EU, reported the Slovak Foreign and European Affairs Ministry's press department.
The participants of the meeting concurred that their main priority is to stabilise the situation in Ukraine in terms of security and the economy. The V4 expressed in an official statement full support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, and offered the country a helping hand with its overall transformation and in carrying out its integration goals.
Slovak Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajčák appreciated the recent signing of the political part of the association agreement between the EU and Kiev.
"I'm happy that agreements on political association and economic integration with Moldova and Georgia will be signed in June," said Lajčák, as quoted by the TASR newswire.
Lajčák noted that the EU expects that all countries of the Eastern Partnership will speed up their reform processes, mainly in combating corruption. Progress in reforms is one of the conditions for visa liberalisation, he pointed out.
According to Lajčák, Slovakia will allocate funds from its SlovakAid programme to support the integration efforts of the aforementioned countries.
Source: TASR
Compiled by Michaela Terenzani from press reports.
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information
presented in its Flash News postings.
