Solidarity exercised in the Carpathian Basin can be useful for all and can even show an example that could be decisive for Ukraine, head of parliament’s foreign affairs committee Zsolt Nemeth said on Wednesday.

Nemeth told an economic forum in Krynica in Poland that the Ukraine crisis has drawn global attention to the region and attempts should be made to shift the US focus from relations with China to the situation in central and eastern Europe. This will be an important task for the NATO summit to start in Newport on Thursday, he added.

He congratulated to Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk for his appointment to President of the European Council and added that Poland’s current position is unprecedented since the rule of John Sobieski in the 17th century. He also praised Slovakia’s economic achievements and expressed appreciation for Romania which has recovered from an “almost hopeless economic situation.”

Nemeth said Hungary’s economic growth is currently the fastest in eastern and central Europe despite facing economic decline only a few years ago. He added, however, that the region’s economic success and security policy situation are fragile. He argued for the importance of secure energy supplies and warned that traditional tensions exist between the region’s countries and solidarity is therefore crucially important.

On another subject, Nemeth said that the European Union should make cooperation proposals “tailored” to the needs of countries participating in its Eastern Partnership programme.

Speaking in a panel discussion summing up the first five years of that programme, Nemeth spoke highly of its impacts, which he said had put participating countries in a position “to decide if they want to take eastern or western directions for their future development”. He added that implementation of the programme has helped bureaucrats in Brussels to a “better understanding of eastern affairs”. “The West must be aware that those countries belong to Europe,” he said.

Nemeth voiced support for the continuation of the programme, and said that countries such as Belarus, Kazakhstan or Georgia should act as a bridge between Europe and Russia, while cooperation should be deepened with Azerbaijan, a country which he said was “hesitating” between East and West.