A joint statement of the Visegrad Group countries and Ukraine

Foreign Ministers of the Visegrad Group countries – the Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of Slovakia Miroslav Lajcak, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland Grzegorz Schetyna, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic Lubomír Zaorálek and Parliamentary State Secretary of the Ministry of Trade and Foreign Affairs of Hungary Laszlo Szabo - paid a one-day visit to Ukraine.

They have been received by the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko, had a meeting with the Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Oksana Syroyid as well as the leaders of the parliamentary factions.

Following the talks with the Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin a joint statement of the Visegrad Group and Ukraine has been adopted.

The key signals of the statement are as follows:

- the V4 countries and Ukraine reaffirmed their strong support for the full and unconditional implementation of the Minsk Protocol and its Memorandum, and reconfirmed their commitment to the policy of non-recognition of the annexation of the Crimean peninsula by the Russian Federation;

- the V4 countries welcome the formation of the pro-reform majority in the Ukrainian parliament and the coalition government following a democratic conduct of the October parliamentary elections;

- the V4 countries reiterated their readiness to assist the Ukrainian authorities in preparation of a comprehensive reforms package that should be at the forefront of the new government agenda;

- mutual energy security remains among the top priorities of cooperation of V4 and Ukraine. The V4 countries reconfirmed their readiness to support continued reverse gas flows to Ukraine during the upcoming winter months;

- in the run up to the Riga summit, the V4 countries will work intensively also in cooperation with the Latvian EU Presidency on introduction of visa-free regime for Ukrainian citizens.

The visit also included a ceremony commemorating the Heavenly Hundred Heroes.

The visit of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the V4 states, which was carried out for the second time this year, showed support of the Visegrad Group for territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine, as well as the willingness of our closest European neighbors to support official Kyiv in implementation of the European integration course.