Press Releases
Congratulatory Message from Foreign Minister MOTEGI Toshimitsu to the Foreign Ministers of the V4 countries on the 30th Anniversary of the establishment of the V4
On February 15, Mr. MOTEGI Toshimitsu, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, sent the following congratulatory message to H.E. Mr. Zbigniew Rau, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland, H.E. Mr. Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary, H.E. Mr. Ivan Korčok, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic, and H.E. Mr. Tomáš Petříček, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, upon the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the Visegrad Group (V4) on February 15, 1991.
“I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic, upon the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the V4.
Starting in 2003, Japan was one of the first non-EU countries to engage in cooperation with the V4, and together we have promoted dialogue and cooperation in a wide range of fields. Japan appreciates the increasingly important role played by the V4 within the EU, as well as its active contributions to regional affairs, including the integration of the Western Balkans in Europe and the Eastern Partnership.
As confirmed in the previous three V4 plus Japan Summit Meetings and the previous six V4 plus Japan Foreign Ministers’ Meetings, Japan intends to continue to work closely with the V4 to actively address the challenges faced by the region and the international community, and to reinforce the fundamental values and principles of democracy, rule of law, human rights, and market-based economy. I look forward to continued cooperation with each of you to further deepen V4 plus Japan cooperation.”
(Note) V4 (Visegrad 4): A regional cooperation framework consisting of Poland (current Presidency), Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. It was founded in Visegrad in Hungary in 1991. It holds dialogues at the leader, foreign minister, and senior working levels and promotes V4 plus Japan cooperation in a wide range of areas, such as science and technology, assistance to third countries, disaster risk reduction, and the environment.