Expanded ministerial summit of the V4 and Eastern Partnership in Bratislava

Within the framework of the Slovak Presidency of the Visegrad Goup (V4) and on invitation of the Slovak Minister of Foreign Affairs M. Dzurinda, an expanded ministerial summit of the V4 member states and those from the Eastern Partnership (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine) will convene in Bratislava on 3 March 2001. The V4 member states will be represented by the Czech Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs K. Schwarzenberg, the Hungarian Foreign Minister J. Martonyi and the State Secretary of the Polish MFA M. Dowgielevicz. Participation of the members of the Eastern Partnership has been so far confirmed by the Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs E. Naldbandian, the Georgian Minister of Foreign Affairs G. Vashadze, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Moldova I. Leanca and the Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs K. Hryshchenko. Belarus will be represented by the Deputy Foreign Minister V. Voronetsky.

Special guests include Deputy Chancellor and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Germany G. Westerwelle, Vice-President of the European Commission and the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton, and the EU Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighbourhood Policy Štefan Füle.

The summit aims to send out a strong political signal of the V4 member states about their support to the policy of the Eastern Partnership in order for the latter to effectively contribute to the political and economic stabilisation in its member states.

The key theme will be a review of the current state of the policy of the Eastern Partnership. The discussion will address the compliance with the fundamental principles and respect to the guiding values of the Eastern Partnership which are the prerequisite for further cooperation of the EU with the individual members of the Eastern Partnership. At the summit the Partners are expected to share their vision and ambitions for closer political cooperation and economic integration with the EU.

The meetings will commence within the V4 format at 09:45. The session will focus on the cooperation of the V4 member states in the implementation of joint projects and activities within the Eastern Partnership, including the use of activities and grants of the International Visegrad Fund.

The first historical meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the V4 member states and Germany will be held at 11:00. It will present an opportunity for an exchange of views on current foreign policy issues, including energy sufficiency and the enhancement of the cooperation platform between the EU and the Eastern Partnership.

The expanded meeting of the V4, Germany and the Eastern Partners will commence with a plenary session in the Congress Hall of the Slovak MFA at 12:00, to be followed by a working lunch of the heads of delegations.

At a press conference at 14:40 the Slovak Minister of Foreign Affairs M. Dzurinda will introduce the review and conclusions of the summit together with C. Ashton, G. Westerwelle and the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland.

Mr Dzurinda will also hold bilateral meetings with the EU High Commissioner C. Ashton, German Minister of Foreign Affairs G. Westerwelle and the Eastern Partners. A number of participants will also attend the internationality GLOBSEC 2011 conference to be held in Bratislava on 2–4 March 2001.

The Visegrad Group assigns particular significance to the European policy towards the Eastern Partnership and wishes to see it succeed. An active engagement and more effective cooperation within the Eastern Partnership can bring further progress during the current Hungarian and the approaching Polish EU Presidency. 

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Slovak Republic