(AP-ANSA) - WARSAW - Slovakia's president on Monday urged
Central Europe to continue to pursue EU goals, while deploring
the fact that the region will have no representative among the
EU's top leaders.
Slovakian President Zuzana Caputova spoke Monday during a
visit to Warsaw, where she met Polish President Andrzej Duda and
Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki for talks on challenges facing
the EU, on security and relations with Russia, as well as region
al matters. Caputova said it was "not a good result" that none
of the EU leaders in the new term will come from the Visegrad
Group, or V4, that is comprised of Poland, Slovakia, The Czech
Republic and Hungary. The group has been critical of many EU
actions, including on accepting migrants. It stymied the
candidacy of socialist Frans Timmermans to be the new head of
the EU Commission. Caputova urged better European integration
for the Visegrad Group and the pursuit of joint European goals.
She said Slovakia's integration with its EU partners is the
closest among the V4 nations, adding that she hopes Slovakia's
Maros Sefcovic will remain in his post as EU energy
commissioner. With Duda she discussed changes to the judiciary
under Poland's right-wing government and in particular the new
disciplinary body that watches over the judges, which has drawn
criticism from the EU. She said it was important that such body
serve as a "good mirror" and is free from political pressure.
Caputova, who took her office last month as Slovakia's first
female president, spoke in favor of good relations with Russia,
on condition it respects international law. She was clearly
referring to Moscow's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine and its
support for armed separatists in eastern Ukraine. (AP-ANSA).
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