TIRANA – “We will be leading the Visegrad Group into the fourth decade of its existence as February 2021 will mark thirty years from the establishment of the Visegrad Group,” has said the Polish Ambassador, Karol Bachura.
An event attended by President Ilir Meta, Ambassadors of Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia, Tirana’s Deputy Mayor as well as representatives of RYCO and WBF was organized in Tirana on Friday as Poland took over the annual presidency in the Visegrad Group (V4) from the Czech Republic.
Unveiling the motto of Polish presidency – “Back on track”- Ambassador Bachura noted that there was no better place to celebrate the presidency handling over than in front of a Polish Locomotive placed in Tirana in July 2018 thanks to the generosity of Hemingway Club Albania and the Municipality of Tirana.
Bachura said the Visegrad Group represents a crucial part of the European system of regional cooperation. “The political successes of the V4 include its commitment to the Eastern Partnership and its support for the countries of the Western Balkans. The V4 countries also play a role in highlighting the importance of the EU enlargement and Eastern Neighborhood policies and maintaining them high on the EU agenda,” he said.
Polish Ambassador stressed that the V4 Presidency coincides with an unprecedented crisis in the world caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and in this frame V4 will need to work closely to bring socio-economic life in the region back on track. “This means not only focusing on post-pandemic recovery, but also giving new impetus to improve regional cooperation by supporting people-to-people contacts between Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia after the lifting of pandemic restrictions.”
Further on he revealed some of the initiatives and activities under the Polish Presidency which will be divided into three areas: economy and connectivity, security, and society. Strong V4 in a strong Europe and return to normality will be among the main objectives of the platform.
V4 will also focus among others on issues vital for the region of Central Europe and the EU as a whole, such as: Brexit, MFF, Cohesion Policy and CAP, cooperation with the Western Balkan countries, the EU enlargement process, development of the Eastern Partnership and cooperation with the EU’s Eastern neighbors.
Ambassador Bachura said security cooperation will also be crucial for V4. “This cooperation will concentrate on developing a coherent position of V4 on key defense policy issues discussed in the NATO and EU,” he said, noting that uncertainty about the real progress of the EU enlargement policy will remain a challenge.
According to him, WB countries have a lot to learn from the V4 Cooperation Example, and they do learn. “I hope that the need for greater regional cooperation in the Western Balkans will eventually push the countries of the region into establishing a group similar to the V4 and help to pull together the whole region into the EU membership,” he said.
In conclusion the Ambassador said the Polish Locomotive exposed in Tirana dates back to 1951, a year in which Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands signed the Treaty of Paris establishing the European Coal and Steel Community or the forerunner to today’s European Union. “I am confident that this symbolic example of coal and steel will take you to the stations of stages of negotiations to lead you finally to your deserved destination – the European Union,” Ambassador Bachura said.
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