The V4 intends to promote this approach at the upcoming European Union summit, the host of today’s meeting, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, announced at a joint press conference. In a joint statement, the prime ministers also condemned the attempt to silence the leader of the Russian opposition, Alexei Navalny.
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“Free elections are the foundation. We cannot force the Belarusians to vote for. We can’t force anything on them. We must avoid the Ukrainian scenario. The Belarusians have to choose for themselves, “emphasized the Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, who, like the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, praised Poland’s efforts to push for a” strategic approach “to Belarus on the EU agenda.
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This includes the offer of an economic program as a “positive alternative” to cooperation with Russia, as Morawiecki explained. “We all agree that Belarus must hold free elections so that the Belarusian people can decide for themselves about their future. This is a unified position, “the Polish Prime Minister emphasized. He also mentioned the possibility of visa-free travel with Belarus.
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At a press conference, Babiš again faced the question of disagreement with the participation of a representative of the Belarusian opposition in a meeting in Lublin. He stressed the importance of raising the issue of Belarus at the EU summit.
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“None of us are looking forward to the second wave of the covid-19 pandemic, but the speed of government response will be a deciding factor. I am glad that we have agreed on a coordination mechanism that will allow us to agree on future steps in a matter of hours, “said Orbán about the results of the debate on V4 cooperation in this area. Babiš added that the problem is that epidemiologists in the EU do not talk to each other, and it is useful to improve this, and therefore considers it a very good idea to create such a commission at the V4 level. “We are each other’s biggest business partners. It would not be good to limit itself, because it would have economic consequences, “he said.
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Matovič admitted that Slovakia is considering including the Czech Republic as a high-risk country, but the ties between the two countries are huge, so it will be necessary to decide on a compromise. “We would prefer not to have to take any action at the border,” he said. According to Matovič, the Slovak Crisis Staff is due to decide on Monday.
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The Prime Ministers of the Visegrad Four also called on the Russian authorities to investigate the poisoning of the leader of the Russian opposition, Alexei Navalny, to identify the perpetrators and punish them. “Given the historical experience, the public in the V4 countries is particularly sensitive to any cases of politically motivated attempts to silence political opponents,” it said in a joint statement, urging international investigations into the use of neuro-paralytic substances banned by international conventions.
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According to the host, the prime ministers also discussed the imbalance of trade with China or aid to Greece after the tragedy that struck the Moria refugee camp on the island of Lesbos.
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