Pøíloha
è. 11
Joint
Statement on the occasion of the
Meeting of Prime Ministers of the Visegrad Countries, Bratislava, May
14, 1999
1. We, the Prime
Ministers
of the Czech Republic, the Republic of Hungary, the Republic of Poland
and the
Slovak Republic, welcome the opportunity of meeting in Bratislava in
order to
revitalise the co-operation of the Visegrad Countries in full
historical
dimension. We are pleased that the group will be able to act in its
full
capacity.
2. Taking into
consideration the proximity of our States and the similarity of
experiences
from the process of political, economic and social development, the
participants of the meeting recognise the need for closer co-operation
of the
Visegrad Countries and confirm their interest and readiness to
participate in
developing good neighbourly relations in the region of Central Europe.
3. We strongly condemn the
deliberate policy of oppression, ethnic cleansing and violence pursued
by
Yugoslav military, police and paramilitary forces against the civilian
population in Kosovo. We call upon the authorities of the Federal
Republic of
Yugoslavia to comply with all conditions set forth by NATO and other
international organisations and countries to ensure a verifiable stop
to all
military actions and the immediate end of all forms of violence. We
sympathise
with all people afflicted by the Kosovo crisis and will undertake all
necessary
efforts to put an end to the conflict, secure lasting peace and
stability in
the South-East Europe and will promote democracy, human rights,
freedoms and
the rule of law.
4. We welcome the progress
of Visegrad Countries towards full integration with the Euro-Atlantic
and
European structures. We are satisfied with the results of the NATO
Summit in
Washington, the reaffirmation of the Alliance's open door policy and
the
inclusion of Slovakia into the group of candidate countries. We
reaffirm that
it is in the interest of all Visegrad partners and the region as a
whole that
Slovakia became full member of NATO and started accession negotiations
with the
European Union as soon as possible. The transfer of expertise is of
crucial
importance for all partners. Visegrad states will share their
experiences from
the process of accession into NATO and integration with the European
Union, as
well as those related to informing the public about accession.
5. We are determined to
deepen the co-operation in the area of preparation for meeting the EU
criteria
in the field of justice and home affairs, with the emphasis on the
fight
against illegal migration, trafficking of people, illicit drugs and
weapons as
well as combating international crime and terrorism. The development of
cross-border co-operation on the local, regional and intergovernmental
level is
an effective way of strengthening our mutual relations. It is desirable
to
intensify the utilisation of the relevant existing and future EU
programmes and
funds.
6. The building of
solidarity and integrity of the region should be facilitated by various
activities aimed at enhancing day-to-day contacts among the citizens of
Visegrad countries. We assign great significance to the activities of
non-governmental organisations and shall encourage their co-operation.
7. The
considerable revival of
Visegrad Group should be strengthened by the annual meetings of Prime
Ministers, members of Government, state secretaries of Ministries of
Foreign
Affairs, and co-ordinators of the Visegrad co-operation. We assume that
the
subsequent meetings will be hosted by the partners on a rotating
principle. It is
with satisfaction that we accept the invitation to meet in Prague next
year.
Zdroj: http://www.visegradgroup.org