The Visegrad Group (V4) countries (the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia) and Japan are ready to expand their cooperation, particularly in the fields of science, research, artificial intelligence and advanced technologies, Foreign Minister Juraj Blanár (Smer-SD) told a press conference following a V4+ meeting in the village of Tomášov near Bratislava on Tuesday.
Blanár added that the foreign ministers of the respective countries also agreed on the need to strengthen relations between the European Union (EU) and Japan.
"Today's session marks the eighth meeting in the V4 plus Japan format and follows a five-year hiatus since the last meeting in Warsaw in 2021. We want to breathe new life into the V4 plus Japan format, and our aim is to resume regular political dialogue and strengthen cooperation not only at ministerial level, but also among experts, institutions and the business community," said the Slovak minister.
The ministers agreed that they consider it to be important to strengthen relations between the EU and Japan. "We see opportunities for closer cooperation, particularly in the area of strengthening resilience and diversifying our supply chains. We also discussed issues relating to 'Made in the EU', such as the Accelerators Act, for which we consider it to be important to take into account the role of trusted partners from third countries, such as Japan," said Blanár.
They also discussed the current global economic and security situation and the importance of cooperation with the Indo-Pacific region. "We emphasised the need for ongoing dialogue and the involvement of partners in the region, including China, so that we can ensure stability, predictability and mutual benefit in international relations," stated the Slovak foreign minister.
A meeting of the V4 foreign ministers with their Japanese counterpart Toshimitsu Motegi took place on Tuesday at the manor house in Tomášov. This was the first ministerial meeting in the V4+ format during Slovakia's presidency of the Visegrad Group.
Source: TASR
