Economy 28 August 2023, 5:10pm

Cooperation in Visegrad Four has become more complicated, says Czech PM

MTI

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala has attended a regular meeting of the heads of Czech embassies abroad at the Czernin Palace on Monday, and in his opening speech of the three-day meeting he has also talked about the Visegrad Four, saying co-operation within the group has become more complicated.

Czechi has taken over the V4 presidency on 1 July, and Fiala said their programme "takes into account the diverse, sometimes very different, positions of the V4 countries on a whole range of issues, even different positions on Russian aggression against Ukraine."

That is why we are focusing on practical cooperation, which is beneficial even at a time when political cooperation within all the Visegrad countries is more difficult, not to say impossible, but a little more difficult,

he said.

"We must not underestimate this responsibility, because the development of our presidency may also be influenced by the forthcoming parliamentary elections in Slovakia [on 30 September] and Poland [on 15 October]," he added.

Fiala said it was in Czechia's interest that the Visegrad Group, as much as possible in the current situation, "should function and build on all the good that has been achieved in the past through joint action."

However, it is also in our interest that the Visegrád should not be the only functional format for cooperation in Central Europe. We are interested in a broader Central European dialogue and this is also reflected in our foreign policy.

"Strategic cooperation with Germany plays an important role in this broader Central European dialogue, as does strengthening neighbourly relations with Austria," he added.

Fiala argued that the security of the Czech Republic is most threatened by Russian imperial policy, but also by China, which is closely monitoring the war in Ukraine for its own power ambitions.

The Czech Republic, he said, should continue to provide civilian and military assistance to Ukraine, support Ukraine's integration into the European Union and NATO, and prepare for the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine after the Russian military offensive.

The chances of a quick end to the conflict in Ukraine are slim, and getting slimmer. The consequences of Russian aggression are manifold, and in a sense this is also at the root of the unrest in Czech society,

said Petr Fiala.

Speaking about energy security, the Prime Minister said that it was crucial for the Czech Republic to become 100% cent independent of Russian energy sources as soon as possible.