Hungarian lawmakers set to approve declaration to mark V4 anniversary

Hungary’s lawmakers are scheduled to approve a declaration to mark the 30th anniversary of cooperation between the Visegrad Group countries — Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia — on Feb. 15, Zsolt Németh, head of the foreign affairs committee, told MTI on Monday.

The committee approved the draft unanimously, indicating that Hungarian lawmakers are capable of finding consensus regarding Hungary’s foreign policy, Nemeth said. This is all the more important as V4 and central European cooperation is a priority for the government, he said.

Németh said the V4’s great advantage was that it operated flexibly, eschewed being institutionally hidebound, and favoured pragmatism on matters of common interest.

The four countries’ presidents, prime ministers and foreign affairs committee members are scheduled to meet, and the other three parliaments are slated to approve a similar declaration in the coming days, he said.

The Visegrad Group, he said, sought to deepen central European and Euro-Atlantic cooperation, and it showed no interest in aggravating conflicts.

Németh noted

Hungary will hold the group’s rotating presidency from July.

Jerzy Snopek, current V4 president Poland’s ambassador to Hungary, said the group had strengthened over the past three decades, with shared interests and values.

Zita Gurmai of the opposition Socialists called V4 cooperation a success story.