At the invitation of the President of the Czech Republic, His Excellency Miloš Zeman, the President of the Republic of India, His Excellency Shri Ram Nath Kovind, paid a State Visit to the Czech Republic from 6 to 9 September 2018.
His Excellency President Kovind was accompanied by his spouse Mrs. Savita Kovind and Mr. Parshottam Rupala, Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare and Ministry of Panchayati Raj; Members of Parliament Mr. Sunil Kumar Singh and Mr. Ram Shakal along with other senior government officials.
During the visit, President Kovind was received by President Zeman. He will meet Prime Minister of the Czech Republic Andrej Babiš, and Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic Radek Vondrá?ek. He will visit the Extreme Light Infrastructure (ELI) Beamlines – International Laser Research Centre, address the Czech Republic - India Business Forum and interact with Czech Indologists at the Charles University.
The bilateral talks were held in a warm, cordial and positive atmosphere, reflecting the long-standing and friendly bilateral relationship between the Czech Republic and the Republic of India based on jointly shared values of peace, stability, democracy, freedom and rule of law.
The two Leaders expressed satisfaction with the multifaceted dimensions of bilateral relations and expressed the desire to further strengthen and develop the strategic aspects of the bilateral relationship. In this regard, they concurred that further discussions may be useful for strengthening bilateral relations to a strategic partnership including through facilitating of temporary movement of professionals on both sides.
The Presidents agreed to intensify contacts at all levels, including regular exchanges of high level visits and frequent political consultations on issues of mutual interest between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic and the Ministry of External Affairs of the Republic of India. They noted with satisfaction that the two Ministries will meet at the Deputy Minister/Secretary level soon. The two Leaders welcomed the announcement of the new Honorary Consulates of the Czech Republic in Bengaluru and in Chennai.
The two leaders affirmed the need for a comprehensive reform of the United Nations. They underscored the need for urgent reform of the UN Security Council, including its expansion in both categories of membership, to make it more representative, accountable, effective and responsive to the geo-political realities of the 21st Century.
The two leaders unequivocally condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations including cross-border terrorism and stressed the importance of international efforts to prevent and fight the scourge of terrorism. They called upon all countries to deny terrorists safe havens and to work towards disrupting terrorist infrastructure and networks and their financing, and preventing cross-border movement of terrorists. Both leaders also affirmed that terrorism cannot be justified on any grounds whatsoever, whenever and by whomever committed and it should not be associated with any religion, nationality, civilization and ethnic group.
The two leaders agreed to strengthen counter-terrorism initiatives through multilateral fora and also agreed to work together on early conclusion of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism in the UN
The two sides reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen global non-proliferation efforts. President Zeman congratulated India on its admission to the MTCR, Wassenaar Arrangement, the Hague Code of Conduct (HCoC) and the Australia Group. He reiterated the Czech Republic´s strong and active support for India´s accession to the Nuclear Suppliers Group, recognizing that India’s accession will add value to the aims and objectives of the NSG.
The Presidents welcomed bilateral cooperation in peaceful use of nuclear energy and agreed to work together with a view to exploring the potential and capacities of the two countries in this area. In this regard, both sides welcomed the ongoing discussion to establish cooperation between the Global Centre for Nuclear Energy Partnership (GCNEP) of India with a relevant institution in the Czech Republic.
In the broader context of bilateral relations, the Leaders reiterated their commitment to the European Union-India Strategic Partnership and agreed to work together with the view to taking it forward in a number of areas. The Leaders expressed their commitment to strengthening the Economic Partnership between India and the EU and noted the ongoing efforts of both sides to re-engage actively towards timely relaunching negotiations for a comprehensive and mutually beneficial India- EU Broad Based Trade and Investment Agreement (BTIA).
The Presidents also reaffirmed the two countries´ commitment to oppose trade protectionism and their readiness to work together in favor of a fair, transparent and rules-based multilateral trading system as represented by the World Trade Organization.
The Leaders acknowledged a long history of defence and security cooperation between the Czech Republic and the Republic of India which has traditionally been an integral part of their relationship and an important factor of mutual confidence building.
The Presidents reaffirmed their commitment to enhancing awareness of existing opportunities offered by the two countries´ markets and facilitating business-to-business contacts including through business missions, participation at trade fairs and exhibitions, information sharing and training.
The Leaders agreed that the upcoming 11th session of the Czech Republic-India Joint Commission on Economic Cooperation to be held in Prague in October 2018 and co-chaired by the Minister of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic and the Minister of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of India will provide an important opportunity to develop new ideas of how to move bilateral economic relations forward. President Zeman and President Kovind welcomed an upward trajectory in bilateral trade and investment flows over the past couple of years.
President Zeman and President Kovind welcomed the higher education partnerships between the universities of the two countries and appreciated the long Czech tradition of students in Indology. They welcomed the growing popularity of yoga in the Czech Republic.
President Zeman and President Kovind acknowledged a high level of competence of the two countries in research and innovation. In this respect, the two Presidents welcomed the signing of the Work Plan for Support of Czech-Indian Projects for the Years 2019-2022 between the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic and Department of Science and Technology, Ministry of Science and Technology of the Republic of India.
They also welcomed the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on Scientific and Technological Cooperation between the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic and the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research of the Republic of India.
President Zeman and President Kovind agreed to intensify people-to-people exchanges, facilitate tourism and deepen cultural ties between the two countries. They welcomed the signing of the Agreement between the Government of the Czech Republic and the Government of the Republic of India on Exemption from Visa Requirements for Holders of Diplomatic Passports.
The Leaders also recognized the importance of having a direct flight between both the two countries to further people-to-people contacts.
His Excellency Mr. Ram Nath Kovind, President of the Republic of India, expressed appreciation to H.E. Mr. Milos Zeman, President of the Czech Republic for the warm hospitality accorded to him and his delegation. Both sides expressed their confidence in the future enhancement of the bilateral relations.
