During the consultations, Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Konrad Szymański and his Slovak counterpart František Ružička discussed issues related to cooperation in the framework of the Visegrad Group and other regional forums, such as the Three Seas Initiative. They also exchanged views on the future of the European Union, elections to the European Parliament, cohesion policy, the Multiannual Financial Framework, Single Market, Brexit, the Eastern Partnership, EU enlargement, the situation in the Western Balkans, and transatlantic relations. “We should have an ambitious common agenda covering such areas as the Single Market and the 2021-2027 Multiannual Financial Framework. The proposals put forward by the Visegrad Group for the Strategic Agenda help ease political tensions in the EU. We expect other states to show a constructive approach,” stressed Deputy Minister Szymański.

The deputy ministers also discussed cooperation in the field of security, including the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO). “Poland fully supports further development of the EU’s defence capabilities and the Common Security and Defence Policy, provided that these projects are implemented in synergy with the EU Member States’ commitments towards NATO,” said the Polish deputy foreign minister.

In addition to the consultations of secretaries of state, this year’s Discussion Forum also offered two discussion panels on security in the OSCE region. They looked at common challenges facing Eastern Europe, and the EU’s future in the context of the forthcoming elections to the European Parliament and the Visegrad Group’s role in the EU after the elections.

The Discussion Forum is a platform for extended consultations at the level of deputy foreign ministers of Poland and Slovakia, with the participation of representatives of Polish and Slovak think-tanks. The Polish Centre for Eastern Studies and the Slovak Foreign Policy Association are key partners. The forum has been held since 2012. 

 

MFA Press Office