State Secretary Ingrid Brocková: The focus of the Slovak Presidency of the V4 will be the citizens of our countries, and here we also count on the support of the International[...]

State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic, Ingrid Brocková, received today (21 January 2022) the Executive Director of the International Visegrad Fund, Petr Mareš.

Executive Director Petr Mareš informed about the ongoing activities of the International Visegrad Fund in the Western Balkans, as well as plans for the near future. "The Western Balkans region is key in our neighbourhood. Slovak diplomacy is closely monitoring developments in the region, and it is essential that we, as the EU, intensify our engagement in the Western Balkans. The credibility of the talks and the transparency of the integration process must be set so that they are perceived positively by the public in the region. The Slovak Republic is a strong advocate of the enlargement process; we are ready to share our experience and authentic expertise. It is desirable to strengthen regional cooperation, which is a prerequisite for successful progress in EU integration," stressed the state secretary.

The Executive Director emphasised the importance of the recently established Western Balkans Fund, which could become an example of good cooperation between the countries of the region. Since its inception, the Western Balkans Fund has been strongly supported by the International Visegrad Fund, which can serve as a model for effective functioning at regional level.

"The International Visegrad Fund was established to promote regional cooperation in the Visegrad region, as well as between the V4 region and other countries, particularly in the Western Balkans and Eastern Partnership regions. Focusing on strengthening relations and contacts between the V4 countries at the people's level, in areas such as education and culture, can be a model and a useful example for the Western Balkans region," said the state secretary.

The topic of the discussion was also the upcoming one-year Presidency of the Slovak Republic in the Visegrad Group, which it will assume on 1 July 2022. "We want the citizens of our countries to be at the heart of our Presidency of the Visegrad Group, and here we also count on the support of the International Visegrad Fund," said State Secretary Ingrid Brocková.

At the end of the meeting, the State Secretary invited the Executive Director to events organised by the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs in the field of economic diplomacy, such as the Innovation Day and From the Regions to the World. Innovation Day is an event held on a monthly basis with the aim of presenting successful innovative Slovak companies to foreign ambassadors accredited to Slovakia. From the Regions to the World is another tool of economic diplomacy, which is focused on dialogue with the private and public sectors in individual regions of Slovakia, as well as the presentation of state forms of aid to support the export of Slovak companies abroad.