Budapest, Nov 30, : Presidents of Visegrad Group Countries launched a Covid-19 Pandemic Appeal in Budapest.They urged people to get vaccinated and expressed solidarity with Poland over the migrant crisis. “Our region is facing an urgent pandemic situation, and it might worsen with new coronavirus mutants,” the Presidents in Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia and the Czech Republic said Monday in their joint appeal.This comes at a time many countries have closed their borders to prevent the spread of Omicron virus variants.
“The science is clear: vaccines against Covid-19 are our best and most effective weapon: they substantially reduce risk of serious complications or death,” the appeal was made to media at a joint press conference.
It stated that the Presidents of the Visegrad 4 (V4) countries urged everyone to get vaccinated as soon and as often as possible for their own health and that of their loved ones.
Presidents Andrzej and Janos Ader from Poland and Zuzana Caputova from Slovakia met here to witness the opening of Planet Budapest 2021 Sustainability Summit and Expo.Their Czech counterpart Milos Zeman was unable travel due to coronavirus.
The summit is the most important international diplomatic meeting on sustainable developments in central Europe.It brings together the top policymakers, academics, and high-ranking officials of international organisations to exchange views and find solutions to global economic, environmental, and social problems.
According to Xinhua news agency, the Presidents also expressed solidarity with Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland in a joint statement.
“We, the Presidents from the Visegrad Group countries gathered in Budapest Monday, express our complete solidarity with the EU and NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization), countries, who face hybrid attacks at the borders with Belarus,” the statement continued.
The V4 Presidents expressed their willingness to support Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland in protecting the EU’s external borders.
Ader stated that “the issue of migration and the events at the Polish border are once again drawing attention to fact that the EU cannot delay its response to the crisis in migration.”
Ader warned that Europe will be under increasing migration pressure if it looks at the Afghan crisis, the changes in Asia and Africa, and the effects of climate change.
Friday’s call by Alexander Lukashenko, President of Belarus, to the EU was made by Friday.
BelTA News Agency reports that Lukashenko demanded Germany accept them as soon possible after German Chancellor Angela Merkel agreed to the refugee reception plan.Lukashenko said that he hoped Poland would allow them to leave because the refugees wanted to travel to Germany.
Many thousands of refugees are trying to reach Poland, Lithuania, and other EU countries from Belarus to seek asylum in western Europe.
Poland is one of the countries that have tightened their border controls to prevent illegal entry.
This has left large numbers of migrants at the border.
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