There are merits to Visegrad Four Group, we shouldn't give up on it

There are merits to the existence of the Visegrad Four group (V4: the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia), as the countries within it speak with a more powerful voice together than they would separately, and the V4 group isn't just about a single prime minister, we need to perceive a broader context as well, House Chair Boris Kollar (Sme Rodina) declared on Tuesday.
Kollar spoke in response to statements made by Czech President Petr Pavel, who, during his recent visit to Slovakia, voiced his scepticism regarding the effectiveness of the V4 group. Pavel perceives the V4 at present as a consultancy forum without any aspirations to achieve close coordination in foreign or security policies. If anything, the group might provide leeway for collaboration in the economy and culture.
"It's true that the original historical purpose of it was for something else entirely, but later we started using the group to exert greater pressure in our negotiations with the EU," said Kollar.
As for differing geopolitical stances between those adopted by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and the rest of the group, Kollar pointed out that governments come and go, and we might not be happy with every prime minister or president. What matters, however, is the broader big picture. "The V4 isn't about Orban or anyone else, it's about cooperation between four countries," he underlined.
Kollar wouldn't give up on the whole V4 group "just because of this one thing". "I think it's quite important to continue with the group, but we must set up priorities and determine which way we wish to go. If we don't like something, we need to let our partner known about it clearly. And I'm confident that our colleagues let the Hungarians know," he added. (TASR)