Visegrad Group security chiefs meet in Budapest
Secretaries of security councils from the Visegrad Group of States met in Budapest on Tuesday and Wednesday to discuss the upcoming NATO summit and European and regional security, the Poland's National Security Office (BBN) reported late on Wednesday.
The Visegrad Group (V4), whose aim is to strengthen regional cooperation, comprises the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia.
The participants attended four discussion panels devoted to the September NATO summit in Newport, UK; the Russia-Ukraine Conflict and the EU's Eastern Partnership programme, cyber-security cooperation within the V4 and energy security in the region, the BBN said in a statement.
BBN head Stanislaw Koziej presented a report on the strategic problems of European security that collected to-date conclusions of the V4 discussions. The participants agreed that the report should be used as a basis to conduct a review of European security at the EU level and ultimately develop a new EU security strategy.
The sides agreed that the upcoming NATO summit should bring tangible decisions on strengthening the alliance's eastern flank, such as expansion of NATO infrastructure in the region, establishment of a permanent mechanism of contingency plans update and regular military exercises.
The participants agreed to step up joint efforts to increase cyber security in the region and boost awareness of potential threats.
In the area of energy, the security chiefs discussed the security of energy supplies to Central and Eastern Europe against the backdrop of the Russia-Ukraine conflict and stressed the need to diversify gas supplies and support shale gas exploration.
It was the sixth meeting of the V4 national security chiefs in the format first proposed by Poland in 2012.
Source: PAP