Deputy Minister Szynkowski vel Sęk recalled that on 1 July 2020 Poland took over the rotating annual presidency of the Visegrad Group (V4). This happened under very difficult circumstances due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which dominated the European and global agenda. “The restrictions imposed on our societies, education and economies pose an enormous challenge for all of us. We want the remaining months of Poland’s presidency of the V4 to be a time that will allow us to prepare to bring our economy and social life back on track,” added the deputy chief of Polish diplomacy, referring to the motto of the Polish presidency, which is “Back on track”.

The deputy minister stressed that as part of strengthening cooperation in the fight against the pandemic, we brought about the launch of the V4 Information Exchange Centre on COVID-19, in line with the will expressed by the V4 prime ministers during their meeting on 11 September 2020 in Lublin. The centre started operating as early as on 9 October last year. 

“The main area of the V4 practical cooperation is influencing the shape of the European agenda and striving to make it reflect the needs and conditions of such a diverse composition of the EU in a balanced way. In this context, the Visegrad Group has repeatedly demonstrated its effectiveness, for example in issues relating to migration or Eastern policy,” said Deputy Minister Szynkowski vel Sęk.

The deputy chief of Polish diplomacy also stressed that special attention should be paid to celebrations of the 30^th anniversary of the signing of the “Visegrad Declaration” (15 February 1991) that coincide with the Polish presidency. The 30^th anniversary of Visegrad cooperation was one of the topics discussed at the summit of the V4 presidents at the Hel Peninsula on 9 and 10 February 2021. The anniversary celebrations will culminate in a meeting of the V4 prime ministers on 17 February in Kraków, during which the heads of government will sign two declarations. The first one, focusing on the V4 anniversary, will highlight the rich experience of cooperation over the past three decades and the will to further enhance it in areas of common interest. One such area is the digital agenda. This vital area of V4 cooperation will be the topic of the second declaration to be signed by the prime ministers.

Furthermore, Deputy Minister Szynkowski vel Sęk presented several promotional projects marking the 30^th anniversary of the establishment of the V4, carried out in cooperation with different institutions in Poland and other Visegrad Group countries. “To emphasise the importance of this major anniversary, we plan, despite the pandemic, to launch a number of initiatives – from the already mentioned high-level political meetings, through large-scale promotional activities, which will be carried out not only in our four countries, but most of all across the globe through embassies and cultural institutes of our four countries,” he added. As examples, the deputy minister cited a commemorative postage stamp issued by four Visegrad postal operators, and an exhibition marking 30 years of V4 cooperation, presenting it from the perspective of political sciences, prepared by the International Visegrad Fund in cooperation with the Polish MFA and in coordination with other Visegrad countries. Furthermore, a project to paint V4-themed murals in Warsaw, Bratislava, Budapest, and Prague is underway in cooperation with the National Centre for Culture Poland.

 

MFA Press Office

Photo: Krystian Maj / Chancellery of the Prime Minister