Historical moments often arrive without warning and they bring about dramatic changes to our political landscape. I believe we are living in those times. It has been one year since I visited India for the first time as Foreign Minister. I am glad to be back to discuss and seek ways to respond to the challenges we face with our Indian friends, my counterpart S. Jaishankar and
other key representatives in Delhi. I cherish also the opportunity to be able to participate in the prestigious Raisina Dialogue forum.
Coming to India means meeting old friends we share a rich past and want to build a common future with. Czech-Indian relations date back long before 1947, when diplomatic relations were officially established.
The first decades of the 20th century laid foundations of the world-renowned Czech Indology. Soon after the establishment of an independent Czechoslovakia in 1918, we opened our consulates in Mumbai and Kolkata. They contributed to the robust intensity of our relations,which gradually expanded after India’s independence.
Business and trade cooperation has been the main pillar of our relations for decades and continue to be so. Many people in India know the traditional Czech brands such as Škoda, Tatra and Bata. A number of people-to-people, cultural, personal and traditional economic ties bind us together, and I try to recall them at every meeting with my Indian partners.
We have the base to build on. Our rich past is, however, not what defines the current Czech-Indian relations or where I see their potential. Czech Government commits our foreign policy to strengthening ties with democratic partners, while it explicitly mentions India. Within the EU, my country is among five member states with their national Strategies on the Indo-Pacific region. It was then only natural to designate the Indo-Pacific as one of our geographical priorities when we held the Presidency of the European Union two years ago.
As our two countries face a rapidly evolving global landscape, the need for a stronger, ever more strategic approach to our partnership has become critical to advancing our bilateral cooperation and seeking ways to address the shared security challenges.
We are sharp-eyed to violations of international law. Czechia stands in solidarity with Ukraine that is heroically defending its territory against Russian aggression. The security in Europe and Asia are interlinked.
In the Indo-Pacific region, too, there are actors that conduct themselves unilaterally and erode our rules-based international order violating the UN Charter in its letter and in the spirit. I refer to the DPRK’s missile launches. We are also concerned over actions that increase tensions across the Taiwan Strait. We wish to cooperate with our Indo-Pacific partners in addressing these security challenges together.
India as an ever more important power on global scene has a right for its voice to be heard and taken into account. With this right comes also the responsibility for the world stability.
India and Czechia must make every effort to transform the crises we face into opportunities. It is vital to deepen our partnerships, decrease undesirable dependencies and open the gates for diversified and secure supply chains. There is a lot of discussion about weakening globalization, but we should rather talk about its changing patterns and recognize that there are new regional players emerging, including the so-called minilaterals, e.g. QUAD.
Czechia and India in the words of their respective Prime Ministers are now in a strategic partnership on innovation. What does that entail? We are actually opening a new and exciting chapter in our relations now. We shall engage in novel bilateral projects in a number of economic and scientific fields; the people-to-people cooperation must flourish. We shall and we will look for new ways and new ideas to make our cooperation truly nimble and innovative.
There is a great potential for us to focus on high value-added sectors, products and advanced services. Both countries will support joint initiatives aimed at know-how and technology exchange. Joint research projects and applied research must be at the forefront.
Czech companies, experts, and universities can bring unique and reliable solutions to India, helping to address shared challenges and drive mutual prosperity. For instance, Czech expertise in aerospace and space technologies can contribute to India’s ambitions in space industry and satellite-based applications.
Let us build on our success stories like Czech radars that cover more than 90% of India’s civil airspace. In line with the “Make in India” strategy, we are looking for new opportunities, for example in transportation or defense industrial cooperation.
I believe that deepening our cooperation can create new opportunities for shared growth and prosperity for both Czechia and India. Together, we can use our strengths and expertise.
(Disclaimer: The views of the writer do not represent the views of WION or ZMCL. Nor does WION or ZMCL endorse the views of the writer.)
