Minister Lipavský attended a meeting of the V4 countries and Turkey in Budapest
Minister Lipavský attended a meeting of the V4 countries and Turkey in Budapest
21.12.2021 / 19:18 | Aktualizováno: 22.12.2021 / 11:17
On Tuesday, 21 December 2021, Minister of Foreign Affairs Jan Lipavský attended a meeting of the foreign ministers of the Visegrad Group and Turkey in Budapest.
He and his counterparts discussed issues related to the situation in Afghanistan, the COVID-19 pandemic, EU and V4 relations with Turkey, and migration.
The meeting was not only the first in the V4 + format, but also the first multilateral event in which Minister Lipavský took part after his appointment as Minister of Foreign Affairs. The discussion with the foreign ministers of Turkey (Mevlüt Çavuşoglu), Hungary (Péter Szijjárto) and Poland (Zbigniew Rau) and Slovak State Secretary Ingrid Brocková focused on migration, the situation in Afghanistan and the Western Balkans, as well as the Czech Presidency of the EU Council next year. Minister Lipavský then spoke briefly with Minister Szíjjárto and Minister Rau on the side-lines of the meeting about current bilateral and European issues.
"I very much appreciate that so shortly after taking office I have the opportunity to meet colleagues, have a constructive conversation with them at the highest political level and thus address specific issues that unite our Central European region," said Minister Lipavský.
He also praised Turkey's involvement through the V4 + format and agreed with other Visegrad colleagues that the external protection of Europe's borders and Turkey's involvement in this regard is crucial. "Turkey lies on the migration routes leading to Europe, and at the same time provides refuge to several million migrants, so it is very important to offer Turkey support and concrete assistance in this area," the Czech Republic's top diplomat said. "It is equally important to help them in the outbreak of conflicts through humanitarian and development cooperation."
At the end of the meeting, the Czech foreign minister underlined the importance of the Visegrad Group as a platform that mainly connects and creates joint cultural, scientific and other collaboration.
Minister Lipavský attended a meeting of the V4 countries and Turkey in Budapest
Minister Lipavský attended a meeting of the V4 countries and Turkey in Budapest
