President of Slovak Republic Ivan Gašparovič Attends Summit of V4 Presidents in Sopot, Poland

The presidents of the V4 countries - Ivan Gašparovič (Slovakia), Lech Kaczynski (Poland), Václav Klaus (Czech Republic) and László Sólyom (Hungary) met in Sopot, Poland to discuss the results of the Polish V4 presidency and plans for further cooperation between Slovakia, Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary within the European Union. The host of the summit, Lech Kazcynski, opened the meeting by mentioning “August 1980 in Gdańsk” , which the Poles consider the beginning of the end of socialism and start of a new period towards freedom and democracy under the leadership of the social movement “Solidarity”. As Kaczynski stated, this was also the reason why he had decided to hold the V4 summit in Tricity - Gdańsk, Gdynia and Sopot, on the coast of the Baltic Sea.

The Slovak President thanked President Kacynski for the admirable results achieved during the Polish V4 presidency. According to President Gašparovič, “the V4 has justification as well as significance. Its solidarity and mutual support of member states within the V4 is a welcome way to go in the future.” President Gašparovič considers the V4 a very important group. Along with his Czech counterpart, President Gašparovič welcomed the Slovenian President in joining the V4 discussions. “Formats such as the V4 plus one, or the V4 plus two, may turn out to be beneficial for our group,” the President added.

Mr. Gašparovič congratulated the Polish President on the success of Jerzy Buzek who was elected President of the European Parliament. “We expect that it will result in a new perception of Central and Eastern Europe by European institutions and facilitate better integration of new Member States in the EU structures,” the Slovak President said.

Ivan Gašparovic said that he supported the completion of the EU’s ratification process of the Lisbon Treaty. He added, however, that the EU should come to an agreement as regards the future of relations between national parliaments and the EU. “I am convinced that, even after the adoption of the Lisbon Treaty, the issue concerning the position of national parliaments in relation to the European Parliament, particularly in the field of powers, will still be open,” the President emphasised. “I do not understand the enthusiasm for the Lisbon Treaty,” Václav Klaus said with respect to the ratification process of this document in the EU. According to the Czech President, “the train of the Lisbon Treaty is running too fast to be stopped. However, if it were possible, it would be good.”

Mr. Gašparovič appreciated that this summit followed up on the topics discussed during last year’s V4 summit in Piešťany. The President proposed to the partners to found an international award of the V4 presidents to honour or possibly financially award an individual or organisation from the country where the respective V4 summit takes place. Mr. Gašparovič thinks that “we could together hand over such an award on the occasion of the V4 summit to a citizen or an institution proposed by ministers of foreign affairs, the International Visegrad Fund, non-governmental organisations or the academic community.” In his opinion, it would be good to award, in this way, those who significantly contribute to the development of Visegrad cooperation.

The Slovak President also proposed in Sopot to strengthen the provision of information on V4 activities through public service media. “It would be useful to consider a more systematic use of public service broadcasters for the purposes of strengthening the V4 brand and promotion of its activities,” was how President Gašparovič emphasised his idea.

Czech President Václav Klaus appreciated the initiative of the summit’s host to also invite the President of Slovenia, Danilo Tűrk, to join in discussions on the second day. “I am not a supporter of V4 enlargement, but it is good that some issues may also be discussed with our Slovenian colleague,” Václav Klaus said.

In the afternoon, the presidents and their wives took a boat trip on the Gdańsk Bay. At the memorial located on the Westerplatte peninsula, the Presidents paid homage to soldiers who fought and fell in the first big battle of World War II. In the evening, the presidential couples attended an organ concert which took place in the Oliwa Cathedral in Gdańsk, followed by a dinner hosted by the Polish President and his wife in honour of their dear guests.