FMs of C5 meet on Ukraine, Czech EU presidency

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Prague, April 13 (IANS) Foreign Ministers of five Central European countries, dubbed as the Central 5 (C5), met in Stirin near Prague to discuss the Covid-19 pandemic, support for Ukraine, and the forthcoming Czech Presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU).

The Czech Republic plans to organise an international donors' conference and focuses the priorities of its EU Presidency, among other things, on assistance to Ukraine, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky said in a statement following the meeting on Tuesday.

"We must support Ukraine on the path to EU membership," Xinhua news agency reported citing Lipavsky.

The C5 was established in 2020 with the main goal of close cooperation between the Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, and Slovenia in the fight against the pandemic.

According to Lipavsky, the Russia-Ukraine conflict and its humanitarian and geopolitical consequences will be reflected in the priorities of the Czech EU presidency due in the second half of 2022. These will include energy security, aid to refugees, and the fight against hybrid threats.

The Czech News Agency (CTK) reported that Lipavsky hopes his country to advance the discussion of having the import of oil from Russia to the EU discontinued during its EU presidency.

However, Hungary's Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto reiterated that his country cannot approve sanctions concerning oil and gas supplies as Budapest considers its own energy security an unchallengeable red line, according to the CTK.

Slovakia's Foreign Minister Ivan Korcok was quoted as saying by the CTK that it is necessary to cut oneself off from Russian oil and gas supplies, but this cannot be done overnight.

--IANS

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