On this occasion 30th anniversary of the Visegrad Group The representatives of the Foreign Affairs Committees of the Visegrad Group (V4) Parliaments recognize that over the past decades this format of cooperation has served the interests of our nations well, being a vehicle for leaving Soviet domination, joining NATO and the European Union and building their own international position within it, as well as an expression of their Central European identity and an instrument for promoting their common interests. Based on the conviction that we are strong when we stand together, we declare the need to continue this model of cooperation in the future - also at the level of parliamentary committees.

The state of cooperation in the Visegrad Group, summary of the Polish Presidency
and challenges for the future

1. We applaud the fact that the Visegrad Group has been experiencing a period of consolidation since 2015, made visible in the solidarity of its countries towards: the challenges brought by illegal immigration to the European Union; the process of appointing top EU officials after the 2019 European Parliament elections; and, in recent weeks, also in the face of increased hostile activities towards the V4 countries by third countries.
2. We strongly condemn all acts of terror. We express our solidarity with the Czech Republic in connection with the blowing up of an ammunition depot in Vrbetice on the territory of the Czech Republic. We condemn the forced landing of a passenger plane in Minsk with the aim of arresting the Belarusian opposition activist Roman Protasiewicz on board and the attempted murder of Alexei Navalny. We condemn the use of any chemical weapons, especially attempts to use them against human life.
3. We express our solidarity with the Belarusian people and call for free and fair presidential elections in Belarus, the release of all political prisoners, including journalists and representatives of national minorities, and accountability for those responsible for human rights violations.
4. In order to express our solidarity with the Belarusian people as co-creators of Central European culture, we encourage each of the Visegrad Group countries to proclaim 2022 the year of Francis Skorina, Doctor of Liberal Arts, Renaissance man, who created his works in Polotsk, Vilnius, Krakow and Prague. We also encourage you to jointly propose honoring in this way, in the following years, other historical figures who have made a significant contribution to the development of culture and the common heritage of Central European countries.
5. We express our support for the representatives of Russian civil society in their courageous commitment to the struggle for a free and democratic Russia.
6. We reiterate our opposition to the construction of Nord Stream 2 as a project that goes against the security interests of the European Union and our region, opening the way for energy blackmail and political corruption.
7. We consider cooperation within the Visegrad Group to be crucial in responding to the challenge posed to our citizens by the coronavirus pandemic, both in terms of its public health and economic consequences.
8. While welcoming the fact that the Visegrad Group is the largest trading partner of Europe's largest economy - Germany - we emphasize the need for actions that will make our trade and markets comparably strong for each other. This task will be served by the development of cooperation within the Tri-Camora Initiative in the field of digitization, energy and transport and communication infrastructure, with particular emphasis on Via Carpatia, whose completion as soon as possible would break the communication barrier of the Carpathians.
9. We call for greater cooperation among the member states of the Visegrad Group on developing and supporting initiatives for the adaptation of regional energy infrastructure, a fair energy transition from fossil fuels to clean energy. We also encourage support for various forms of protection of naturally valuable areas, increasing the retention capacity of natural waters, conducting joint research programs on the impact of climate change on regional biodiversity, and the search for clean and sustainable energy sources and storage technologies.
10. We support the use of modern forms of electronic communication to create and improve platforms for cooperation and ongoing exchange of information and opinions between parliamentarians of the Visegrad Group countries.

The Visegrad Group in the discussion on the future of Europe
and related foreign policy issues

1. Running until June 2022. The Conference on the Future of Europe is an excellent opportunity for the necessary reflection on the European Union itself. It should take into account the need to strengthen the democratic legitimacy of the EU. It should take into account the need to strengthen the democratic legitimacy of the EU and to ensure that the discussion on the future of Europe does not overlook the voice of the peoples of countries aspiring to EU membership or cooperating closely with it, including the countries of the Western Balkans and the Eastern Partnership. We are convinced that both parts of our continent, once separated by an "iron curtain" are now united and testify to the strength of Europe, which lies in diversity.
2. We express our continued support for the Eastern Partnership policy
   and we highlight its strategic importance within the European Neighbourhood Policy,
   and for the European integration process of the Western Balkan countries.
3. We welcome the establishment by Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia - three Eastern Partnership countries associated with the European Union and advanced in the reform process - of the Associated Trio, a forum for their closer integration. We declare our willingness to engage in dialogue with this forum under the Visegrad Plus formula.
4. Given the many citizens of the Eastern Partnership and Western Balkan countries who live and work in the European Union, often far from their families back home, we call for the inclusion of these countries in the EU telephone roaming scheme.
5. We remain strongly committed and convinced that the process of European Union enlargement to the Western Balkans should accelerate, and that it should be given a new impetus, sustaining and strengthening faith and trust in the EU, and the credibility of the whole enlargement process, from the point of view of the Balkan region.

• Taking into account the tragic outcome of last year's armed confrontation between Armenia and Azerbaijan and the continuing tensions in relations between the two countries, we support the calls of the international community for the development of a lasting and comprehensive peace agreement aimed at regional stability and future reconciliation. We stress our full support for the activity of the OSCE Minsk Group and the involvement of the OSCE Chairmanship Personal Representative.
• Thank you to everyone actively involved over the past 30 years
  We have been involved in the activities of the Visegrad Group - a visible sign that we are able to organize ourselves in this part of Europe, so experienced by history, in a way that for many other countries still remains a dream.

Videoconference of foreign affairs committees

Chamber of Deputies and Senate of the Czech Republic, National Assembly of Hungary,

Sejm and Senate of the Republic of Poland and the National Council of the Slovak Republic

June 8, 2021.