In July 2017 Hungary took over the rotating presidency of the Visegrad Group for a year. Ms Krisztina Varju, Ministerial Commissioner for the Hungarian presidency, gave a detailed interview on Hungary�s Presidency in Tirana, including plans with regards to the relation between the V4 and the Western Balkans region.
"We will organize the regular meeting of Foreign Ministers of the Visegrad Group and the Western Balkans Six in October in Budapest, which we consider one of the most important political meetings during our presidency," she said.
Speaking of the bilateral relations between Hungary and Albania, she said they have traditionally been good and friendly.
"The history of our countries has several common chapters that prove the close friendship of our nations. I am happy to state that the relations between our countries have been developing further recently. The increased frequency of high level political dialogue also demonstrates the importance of our relations," said Ms Varju in the following exclusive interview with Albanian Daily News:

- How would you evaluate the significance of the Visegrad Group today?
-The Visegrad Group is a dynamic regional cooperation format of the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary operating within the framework of the European Union and the NATO. While looking back to a more than 26 years history of the cooperation, Hungary took over the rotating presidency of the grouping on July 1, 2017 in a truly challenging period. I believe that the motto of the Hungarian V4 Presidency of 2017/2018, �V4 connects� sums up the significance of the V4: it provides a well-functioning platform to facilitate connectivity among our countries, including both governments and societies in order to face these challenges together more successfully.
The V4 connects our countries in terms of politics, economy, infrastructure and social relations. It also connects our region with other European and global partners through the several V4+ cooperation formats.
Looking back at what we have achieved jointly, we can say that since its establishment in 1991, the Visegrad Group has become an effective cooperation mechanism of the four participating states. The V4 contributed to our countries� swift accession to NATO and the EU, thus fostering also to the reunification of Europe.
Today the four countries have been members of the EU for 13 years and through constant coordination they have been successful in incorporating their views into the EU decision-making. Contacts between our governments are intensive at every level. This regularly results in reaching common positions as well as launching joint projects. Besides politics and diplomacy, it is the V4�s important mission to bring closer the societies of the four countries, which is helped by the Visegrad Fund, our common institution.
The Fund�s story is a real V4 success story: in the past 17 years it has supported more than 5000 grant projects which focused on regional cooperation, while also providing more than 2000 students with scholarships. The Fund was given another important task: to facilitate assistance to the Western Balkans and the Eastern Partnership countries by sharing our valuable transitional and EU-integration expertise. We have been glad to support projects focused on Albania as well.
Recently, the V4 has gained even more visibility and significance in the past few years, especially by taking bold and rational joint positions in important European debates such as the one about tackling the migration crisis, or about how to proceed in order to have a better and stronger EU.

-What topics have been in focus in the past more than 25-year long history of the V4?
-After the end of the communist era, our countries together made a strategic decision: to join the NATO and the European Union as soon as possible. These common goals and values united us, and we had our common history, culture and traditions as a strong background. That is why our countries decided to start this cooperation by signing the Visegrad Declaration in 1991.
The declaration laid the foundations and main topics of the cooperation. At first we focused on our Euro-Atlantic integration and the myriad tasks we had to complete in order to get there. In 2000 we founded the Visegrad Fund and strengthened the social dimension of the V4.
After our EU accession in 2004, the V4 became an intra-EU regional format aimed at representing our region�s interests in the EU decision-making, wherever our interests meet. Key dossiers on which we traditionally coordinate include EU institutional, financial and economic issues, Common Foreign and Security Policy, Cohesion Policy and territorial development, agricultural policy, energy and transport, environment, and more recently science, innovation and digitalization.

-Do the four Visegrad countries have a specific policy towards the Western Balkan region?
-Hungary and our current V4 presidency attaches great value to the V4-WB6 cooperation, which includes political dialogue, our support in European political fora in terms of facilitating EU-enlargement, as well as assistance to the WB6 region by sharing expertise in good governance, economic and social transition, and regional cooperation.
This region�s security and stability is inseparable from the EU�s security and we firmly believe that the EU enlargement policy provides an invaluable tool for achieving security, stability, and prosperity in the Western Balkans. In short, we are strongly interested in the stability of your region and are willing to contribute to it bilaterally as well as regionally.

-Are you planning any high-level meetings related to the Western Balkans?
-We will organize the regular meeting of Foreign Ministers of the Visegrad Group and the Western Balkans Six in Budapest in October, which we consider one of the most important political meetings during our presidency. The V4 are committed to keep the question of enlargement and the Balkan�s stability in the focus of attention within the EU as well.

-The WBF was launched on the margins of the Bled Strategic Forum a week ago. How do the V4 countries perceive the establishment of the Western Balkans Fund?
-The concept of the Western Balkans Fund (WBF), proposed originally by Hungarian experts several years ago, was inspired by the success of the Visegrad Fund. The V4 actively facilitated the launching of the WBF, not only by political support but also via significant technical assistance from the Visegrad Fund. But the launching of the WBF is the success of your region, including Albania, and I think it is a historical one. The ownership of the project belongs to the six founders and we really look forward to seeing them work together on selecting and supporting the first joint projects, to the benefit of the whole region�s society.
The WBF has the potential to contribute to good neighborly relations and mutual trust in the Western Balkans, therefore we provide assistance so that the WBF can become fully operational.

-Which was the focus of the discussions you had with stakeholders in Albania?
-The discussions at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs focused on upcoming programs of the Hungarian V4 Presidency, the Western Balkans Fund (WBF), and current issues of bilateral relations between Hungary and Albania. I also had the privilege to visit the seat of the WBF where the directors of the Visegrad Fund and the WBF signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation between the two institutions, outlining the modalities of V4 support to the successful launching of the WBF.
I was particularly glad to visit this signing ceremony as Hungary had a significant role in facilitating the establishment of this institution.

-In conclusion, Ms. Commissioner, how would you describe the bilateral relations between Hungary and Albania, and which are some of new steps to be taken by both sides to bolster what Budapest and Tirana consider as traditional friendly relations?
-Our bilateral relations have traditionally been good and friendly. The history of our countries has several common chapters that prove the close friendship of our nations. I am happy to state that the relations between our countries have been developing further recently. The increased frequency of high level political dialogue also demonstrates the importance of our relations.
Our cooperation covers several areas, including economic, cultural or education projects. Also, the launch of the direct flight between Budapest and Tirana will enable bringing our countries even closer. Hungary is committed to the smooth and successful European Union accession process of Albania.

-Ms Krisztina Varju, thank you very much.
-Thank you very much for the opportunity!