Topic Archive Foreign policy
Czechs and Poles to boost food safety links
In a meeting in Prague on Monday, the Czech and Polish agriculture
ministers addressed a long-running dispute over the quality of Polish food
imports to the Czech Republic. In what may prove to be the first step to
defusing the row, the Czech agriculture minister, Petr Bendl, and his
Polish counterpart, Stanisław Kalemba, have agreed to boost cooperation
and to improve the exchange of information between their food inspection
agencies. More
Clash between Czech president and foreign minister revived in neighbouring Austria
They were supposed to have buried the hatchet a week ago but a clash
between Czech President Miloš Zeman and the country’s foreign minister,
Karel Schwarzenberg, was revived on Tuesday. Most remarkably, during the
president’s visit to Austria. All it took was a few words to again shake
things up. The president suggested if he couldn’t reach agreement with
the foreign minister on ambassadorial posts, he would sidestep him
entirely. More
Publisher Alexander Tomsky: Margaret Thatcher had an avid interest in East European affairs
Publisher Alexander Tomsky is an expert on East European affairs who fled
Czechoslovakia after the 1968 Russian-led invasion. He spent many years of
his life in Great Britain where he lectured at London’s Keston College in
the years between 1979 and 1986, heading its Central European Affairs
department. It was there that he met the former British Prime Minister
Margaret Thatcher in person. In a brief phone interview for Radio Prague he
recalled the late Mrs. Thatcher’s interest in Central and East European
affairs. More
Margaret Thatcher remembered
Margaret Thatcher, the prime minister of Great Britain for 11 years and
iconic 20th century politician, is being remembered worldwide, following
her death on Monday at the age of 87. A largely polarising political figure
at home, Thatcher was nevertheless highly-regarded by many abroad, not
least opponents of communism who ranked her in importance alongside US
president Ronald Reagan or Pope John Paul II. Radio Prague reports on how
Mrs Thatcher is being remembered in Prague. More
Klausová to be ambassador to Slovakia?
President Miloš Zeman is pressing for the wife of his predecessor Václav
Klaus to be named the Czech Republic’s ambassador to Slovakia. However,
Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg – who Mr. Zeman beat to become head
of state – is opposed to the appointment of Livia Klausová; he says the
idea looks like payback for the former first lady’s support for Miloš
Zeman during the presidential campaign. More
Czech cabinet and president in accord over foreign policy priorities
President Miloš Zeman made his first appearance at a meeting of the
centre-right cabinet on Wednesday. The debate, which was seen as a litmus
test of future cooperation between the left-oriented president and the
right-oriented government, went off surprisingly well. More
Dissident blogger Yoani Sanchez urges Czechs to keep up pressure on Cuban government
Dissident blogger Yoani Sanchez arrived in the Czech Republic this week on
what is her first trip abroad since Cuba’s communist authorities
partially lifted restrictions on travelling. Ms Sanchez, best known for
her acclaimed blog Generation Y, is attending the One World festival of
human rights documentaries in the Czech capital. More
Czechs and Germans intensify the fight against rampant cross-border drug trafficking
The Czech and German interior ministers on Thursday pledged to intensify
cooperation at all levels to curb a flourishing cross-border drug trade in
crystal methamphetamine. Despite tightened border controls, Czech suppliers
are meeting growing demand in the southern and eastern parts of Germany
which border on the Czech Republic and where an increasing number of young
people are falling prey to the highly-addictive stimulant. More
PM announces deployment of Czech military instructors to Mali
The Czech Republic is to send troops to Mali as part of a group of European
Union military trainers due to be deployed in the West African state, where
an offensive against Islamist militants in the north has been taking place.
Prime Minister Petr Nečas announced the decision after winning backing
from the opposition. More
Prague endorses Turkey’s EU candidacy
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan paid a one-day working visit to
Prague on Monday for talks dominated by business and his country’s drive
to revitalize accession talks with the EU. The Czech Republic, which has
nurtured ties with one of the world’s fastest growing economies, fully
endorsed Ankara’s ambition. More
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