Meeting in Brussels yesterday, EU presidents and prime ministers approved the opening of accession talks after several hours of negotiations. Credit: Freepik.
Brussels, Dec 15 (CTK correspondents) – Czech PM Petr Fiala told journalists in Brussels yesterday that the decision to open EU accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova is an important signal, which proves that the bloc has an interest in these countries and their future.
Also welcoming the decision, Czech President Petr Pavel wrote on Twitter that the move will be beneficial for the security and prosperity of the Czech Republic, as well as the new candidate countries.
Meeting in Brussels yesterday, EU presidents and prime ministers approved the opening of accession talks after several hours of negotiations. Hungarian PM Viktor Orban insisted that he disagreed with the step, but diplomatic sources said he eventually left the room when the decision was taken.
Fiala said that reaching an agreement was not easy, but that it is important that the EU has once again maintained unity on the key issues.
Leaders at the Brussels summit also supported granting candidate status to Georgia.
“I welcome the European Council’s decision to open accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova and to grant candidate status to Georgia,” wrote Czech President Pavel. “There is still a lot of work to be done, but they can count on our full support on their path to the EU. This is the right decision that will benefit not only these countries, but also our own security and prosperity.”
Vítám rozhodnutí Evropské rady o zahájení přístupových rozhovorů s Ukrajinou a Moldavskem a udělení kandidátského statusu Gruzii. Čeká nás ještě spousta práce, na naši plnou podporu na své cestě do EU se ale mohou spolehnout. Jde o správné rozhodnutí, které bude prospěšné nejen…
— Petr Pavel (@prezidentpavel) December 14, 2023
Fiala said yesterday’s European Council summit was one of the most difficult he had attended so far. He described the decisions adopted as “a big step forward and a success for Europe and the EU countries”.
“We have approved the text of the European Council conclusions concerning Ukraine. We confirmed our support for that country and condemned Russian aggression,” he said.
“This is an important signal of unity, especially in these difficult times, when there are various predictions that we are already tired,” he added.
With the help of Western countries, Ukraine has been resisting Russian military aggression since February 2022.
