Brussels, 14/11/2006 (Agence Europe) - Foreign Ministers of the Visegrad-4 (Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia) group and the Baltic-3 group (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania) restated on Monday their “firm interest in joining the Schengen area” in October 2007, as foreseen in the initial timetable (EUROPE 9281). During a meeting on the sidelines of the General Affairs Council, the ministers of the two groups called on the European Commission and the Member States to restate their commitment to work in close cooperation in order to enlarge the Schengen Area “in the shortest possible time perspective”. The V4 and B3 countries, which formed the Coalition for Visa Equality in September, have also pledged to achieve visa-free travel to the USA for their citizens as quickly as possible, not only through joint action by the EU Commission and Presidency, but also through direct communication with the US authorities. (bc)