Czech officials: Višegrad Four summit agenda does not run counter German proposals for migrant crisis

Czech State Secretary for European Affairs Tomáš Prouza has confirmed that he was contacted by the German ambassador to Prague with regard to the agenda and goals of the Višegrad Four summit due to be held in Prague on Monday. According to Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico Germany has voiced objections to the fact that the Višegrad Four, comprising the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland and Hungary, as well as representatives of Macedonia and Bulgaria would be discussing plans to beef-up security at the Bulgarian and Macedonian border if Greece should fail to bring the flow of migrants under control. The German weekly Der Spiegel wrote that plans by the Višegrad Four undermine EU unity in the need to secure the EU’s outer borders and Chancellor Merkel’s plan to solve the migrant crisis with the aid of Turkey.

Mr. Prouza dismissed these claims saying the Czech Republic and other V4 countries supported cooperation with Turkey in the solution to the migrant crisis but at the same time, they were prepared to intensify aid to Greece as well as to Macedonia and Bulgaria to help bring the influx of migrants under control. He noted that European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker recently called on EU member states to provide bilateral aid to Macedonia. We consider it a natural part of the European solution to the migrant crisis, Prouza said.

The State Secretary for EU Affairs added that he had also debated the summit’s agenda with the Dutch ambassador to Prague as a representative of the EU presiding country and the head of the European Commission Representation in Prague in the past days.

Czech Foreign Minister Lubomír Zaorálek said he did not perceive German questions about the Visegrad Four summit on migration as objections, but considered them a natural effort to clarify certain points and seek a joint approach in the migrant crisis.