Presidents of V4 countries discuss cooperation, joint projects
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E-mail Xinhua, November 23, 2023
PRAGUE, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- Presidents of the Visegrad Group (V4) countries met here on Wednesday to discuss practical cooperation, people-to-people contacts and joint infrastructure projects.
During their meeting at Prague Castle, Czech President Petr Pavel, Slovak President Zuzana Caputova, Hungarian President Katalin Novak and Polish President Andrzej Duda discussed strengthening of contacts between the citizens of the V4 countries, the use of the International Visegrad Fund and joint infrastructure projects, such as high-speed railways, the Czech president's office said in a statement.
"Our views may change over time, but we remain neighbors and our task is to cultivate good relations," Pavel said in the statement.
"It is crucial to understand each other's views on various topics and identify opportunities for collaboration," he said.
Established in 2000 and contributed by each of the V4 countries, the International Visegrad Fund supports regional cooperation between civil society organizations to advance their relations, exchange and share ideas and promote mutual understanding.
The leaders also discussed V4+ projects, which target the countries of the Western Balkans, the Eastern Partnership and the consequences of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, according to the statement.
Hungary's Novak said on social media that the leaders also agreed to "take action against the increasing illegal migration pressure and defend the security of Central Europe."
Czech Interior Minister Vit Rakusan said on Wednesday that a meeting bringing together interior ministers of V4 countries plus Germany and Austria will take place in Hungary next week to mainly discuss migration issues, when announcing that his country would extend checks at the border with Slovakia until January.
The Czech Republic introduced checks at its border with Slovakia in October to stem increasing illegal migration. Initially for 10 days, the inspection has since been extended several times.
The Czech Republic currently holds the one-year V4 presidency. Enditem
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