BRATISLAVA, January 13, (WEBNOVINY) — Directors of consular sections of foreign departments of the Visegrad Group countries discussed in Bratislava improving cooperation and mutual representation in issuing visas to foreigners at their embassies in the world. Closer cooperation of the V4 states was announced some time ago; their representatives mentioned joint Visegrad Houses, where the representation of all four countries would be concentrated. The first one already functions in Cape Town. The consular directors discussed providing aid to the V4 countries’ citizens in third countries, where some of the states may not have a representative office. “We agreed on continuing closer cooperation of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the V4 countries in the field of rationalization of diplomatic and consular presence of the V4 countries abroad,” said the Slovak ministry’s consular section director Anna Jurikova.
As she added, the talks also dealt with mutual cooperation in issuing the visas to foreigners. Slovakia already has similar treaties with Austria, Hungary and Slovenia. The Cabinet already approved a treaty with Poland; treaties with the Czech Republic, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Germany, Spain and France are being worked on. “We also will provide active representation to some of these countries, for example to Slovenia, Latvia and Estonia,” ministry’s spokesman Lubos Schwarzbacher told SITA at the end of December. Slovakia should have signed similar treaties with all V4 countries soon.
SITA
