Archive: Foreign policy | Diplomacy Diplomacy
Czech foreign policy review searches for new directions
The Czech Foreign Minister has announced a wide ranging review of foreign
policy to take account both of changes in the Czech Republic and those in
the wider world. The review comes with the jury still out on whether a more
streamlined EU foreign policy can deliver, the outcome of Afghanistan still
unclear and questions still up in the air about relations with Russia. We
look at what might be questioned in the review and what changes might
follow. More
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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Wikileaks cables: Iran sought Czech weapons-making machinery via Turkey
Diplomatic cables released by Wikileaks reportedly show that the Czech
Republic was warned by the United States against selling machine tools they
feared could find their way to use in the Iranian nuclear programme.
Specifically, it claims that in the search for weapons-making machinery,
Iranian companies have attempted to bypass Czech export controls by buying
through a Turkish partner. More
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.
More
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.
More
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.
More
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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