GÖDÖLLŐ — The prime ministers of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia convened for a summit of the Visegrád Four regional group on Tuesday in Hungary. The meeting, which occurred at the Grassalkovich Castle in Gödöllő, a suburb of Budapest, marked the first summit of the Visegrád Four in more than two years.

Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar, who succeeded Viktor Orbán in May, hosted the event. The meeting lasted one hour. Prime Minister Magyar proposed developing a high-speed rail line connecting the capitals of the four countries. The prime ministers discussed finding common ground on energy security, agricultural policy, and illegal immigration during their discussions.

"The V4 is back," Magyar said. "The heart of Europe is beating in Central Europe today." He also stated a desire to expand V4 cooperation to include additional countries. Hungary currently holds the rotating presidency of the Visegrád Four and will hand it over to Slovakia at the end of the month.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk indicated that V4 countries should coordinate before meetings of the European Council. This coordination aims to present common positions at the EU level. "The group can be a 'beacon of hope' that forms a united front to help dictate policies at the EU level," Tusk said.

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis said, "The group is once again fully operational." "These four countries are the future of Europe," Babis said. Prime Minister Magyar's Tisza party secured a two-thirds majority in the Hungarian parliament in the April 12 election. His government reached an agreement with Kyiv on restoring rights for a Hungarian ethnic minority in western Ukraine, and Hungary lifted its veto in the European Union to allow Ukraine's membership process to begin.