Diplomats of the V4 countries discuss Ukraine

The meeting took place in an extended format which included Greece, a country holding the EU presidency at the moment, Bulgaria and Romania. “I would like to congratulate Radosław Sikorski and the ministers who accompanied him on their successful mediation mission to Kyiv, an initiative that stopped the bloodshed and made it possible to resolve the conflict through political means,” Hungarian Foreign Minister Janos Martonyi said inaugurating the meeting. The remaining ministers also applauded their Polish colleague for the successful mission.

The ministers issued a joint V4 statement on the situation in Ukraine. In the document, they express their condolences to the families of people who died in recent clashes; and welcome the election of the new Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, and the release of Yulia Timoshenko.

Chiefs of diplomacy of the V4 underscore their support for maintaining Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity. They urge all political forces to seek dialogue and understanding, so that a new government can be formed that will restore law and order in the country. They call for respecting the rights of minorities, including linguistic ones, in keeping with Council of Europe standards.

The Visegrad Group backs efforts to tackle Ukraine’s financial crisis together with international financial institutions. Moreover, the V4 foreign ministers declare their readiness to visit Kyiv to share their transitional experiences with the new government.  “The Ministers reiterate their strong support for Ukraine’s European perspective – based on the sovereign decision of the Ukrainian people – and remain committed to continue providing assistance in strengthening its relations with the European Union,” reads the statement.

Furthermore, the ministers discussed the issue of constructing a North-South gas connection to link the Baltic Sea to the Aegean Sea, using the existing networks and interconnectors. The ministers said they were hopeful the V4, Bulgaria and Romania would speak with one voice on energy policy during the European Council meeting in March.

Other items on the agenda included the future of the Eastern Partnership and migration. “We’ve agreed that the external borders of the EU need to be made stronger. As a host country to the FRONTEX border management agency, Poland underlines its commitment to this issue,” Minister Sikorski said after the meeting.

On the margins of the event, Radosław Sikorski held talks with his Bulgarian counterpart Kristian Vigenin. “I’m very glad to say there are no unresolved issues between Poland and Bulgaria today,” Minister Sikorski said as the meeting began.

Marcin Wojciechowski
MFA Press Spokesman