Archive: Foreign policy | Diplomacy Diplomacy
Czech Foreign Ministry reviews priority goals and how to achieve them
The Czech Foreign Ministry has launched a far reaching review of what its
future priorities should be and how it can achieve them. The review is
aimed at adapting policy to global changes over the last few years and also
the ministry’s stretched resources.
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White House sidesteps Congress opposition and appoints ambassador to Czech Republic
After a gap of near two years, the US is finally going to install an
ambassador in Prague. The White House got around objections in Congress to
its nominee by taking advantage of the fact that it is not in session just
now. More
Confidential material from US embassy in Prague included in WikiLeaks release
Czech-US relations have been caught up in the massive release of secret US
diplomatic cables by the WikiLeaks server. One of more than a thousand
cables from the US embassy in Prague already put up on the whistle
blower’s server provides a snapshot of how Czech and US diplomats began
to recast their relations after the US dumped its plans for an anti-missile
base in the Czech Republic. More
US ambassador’s post to remain vacant even longer after nomination vetoed
The post of United States ambassador to Prague has gone unfilled since the
start of 2009, when the previous, George Bush-appointed ambassador was
recalled. Now it appears the job will remain vacant for even longer, after
the Obama administration’s choice for envoy to the Czech Republic was
rejected in the US Senate.
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Czech Foreign Minister takes mixed message to NATO
Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg has just been to NATO’s
Brussels headquarters bearing mixed news about the government’s
intentions. On the one hand it wants to quickly downsize its contribution
to the ongoing peace mission in Kosovo, but on the other it is offering a
bigger presence in Afghanistan.
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Prague and Paris seek to mend strained relations
Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg appears to have mended some
fences with France on a just completed official visit. After veiled
criticism from Mr. Schwarzenberg of French expulsions of Roma, this was set
to be an awkward meeting but it seems to have ended with a desire to put
future relations between Prague and Paris on a better footing.
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Czech Foreign Ministry lacks African strategy, says expert Marie Imbrová
Czech–African relations went through a downturn after the fall of
communism, and might suffer another blow as the Czech Foreign Ministry has
announced the closure of Czech embassies in Congo and Kenya. In this
edition of One on One, we talk to Marie Imbrová, an African studies expert
and a former diplomat, who spent eight years at Czech embassies in Kenya
and Zimbabwe. She has continued visiting Zimbabwe even after she left the
Foreign Ministry, and she is involved in several development projects
there. During her sojourn in Africa, she also developed a passion for
modern African art.
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Czech Foreign Minister’s comments over Roma expulsion rack up tension between Prague and Paris
A very undiplomatic spat has blown up between Prague and Paris. The fuse
was lit by Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg who said that
France’s ongoing expulsion of Roma, or gypsies, from camps across the
country smacked of racism.
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Mystery surrounds alleged Russian infiltration of Czech army command
A Czech newspaper has claimed three generals were forced to leave the army
in 2009 after the security services found their offices had been
infiltrated by a Russian spy. The daily Mlada Fronta Dnes claimed in a
front-page exclusive on Wednesday that a female major working for all three
men had been befriended by the spy, although her role in the affair remains
unclear. More
Obama nominates White House “ethics Czar” Eisen as ambassador to Czech Republic
US President Barack Obama has nominated Norman Eisen, a lawyer and the
president’s advisor on ethics, as the new ambassador to the Czech
Republic. The Czech Foreign Ministry approved the nomination on Wednesday,
but Mr Eisen’s nomination is yet to be confirmed by the US Senate. Radio
Prague spoke to Daniel Anýž, a commentator for a leading Czech daily,
Hospodářské noviny, about the likely new US envoy to Prague.
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