V4 Business Forum – Hungarian FM Szijjártó hopes for restoring V4 cooperation

Strengthening the Visegrad Group cooperation has always been at the heart of Hungary’s foreign policy strategy, Péter Szijjártó, the minister of foreign affairs and trade, said in Bratislava (Pozsony) on Tuesday, adding that there was hope for restoring V4 cooperation, as all countries lost out if the partnership became difficult.

Speaking at a closing conference of the V4 Business Forum, Szijjártó said that the recent period had “not been easy” when it came to bolstering V4 cooperation.

He said the main reason for this was not disagreements among the governments of Czechia, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, arguing that the grouping’s biggest success of getting the European Union to scrap migrant quotas had come at a time when the V4 countries’ prime ministers had all belonged to different political families.

Szijjártó said the real reason why cooperation had become more difficult was that certain political leaders had “broken with the past practice” of respecting each other’s differences and instead focusing on areas that offer mutual benefits.

He said the difficulties in V4 cooperation had led to the grouping losing out on many opportunities and growth potential. “And I think this doesn’t just go against our national interests, but also those of the V4 countries,” he added.

Szijjártó thanked those who had kept the alliance alive despite the political difficulties, including the business players “who have represented common sense and rationality”.