Press Advisories

12. 8. 2020 16:15

Czech Republic and USA have special relationship, says PM Babiš following talks with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo

Prime Minister Andrej Babiš welcomed US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in front of Kramář's Villa, 12 August 2020.
Prime Minister Andrej Babiš welcomed US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in front of Kramář's Villa, 12 August 2020.
On Wednesday 12 August 2020, Prime Minister Andrej Babiš received Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at the Kramář Villa. The PM and US head of diplomacy mainly discussed issues of developing trade relations and international security and defence cooperation, as well as the current problems caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

On the second day of his official visit to the Czech Republic, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was received by Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš. At talks between the two delegations at Kramář Villa, which on the Czech side was also attended by Industry and Trade Minister Karel Havlíček and Defence Minister Lubomír Metnar, the politicians primarily discussed mutual trade relations between the USA and Czech Republic as well as the European Union and international security issues including cybersecurity, also exchanging experiences in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

"I am very glad Mister Secretary began his journey around Europe here in Prague, this being his first time. And I'm also very glad that Mr Pompeo is the third Secretary of State of the United States of America to visit the Czech Republic during my government," said PM Andrej Babiš, also bringing up his two trips to the USA. "Our relations are very good and special," he stated. The USA is and will continue to be an important strategic partner of the Czech Republic.

The PM denoted the main topic of talks for the Czechs as mutual trade relations between the two countries and trade relations between the US and European Union. "We have enormous potential in terms of our trade relations. Last year we increased our turnover by six percent and reached nearly 9.4 billion dollars. So it is very dear to my heart that we managed, and here I'm speaking on behalf of Europe, to complete a trade agreement. I think it is important to come back to this, to endeavour to reach an agreement on trade," PM Babiš emphasised.

The prime minister and the US secretary of state also discussed the current situation with the coronavirus pandemic and possible cooperation between the two countries in the pharmaceutical industry in developing a new vaccine, and also delved into the possibility of defence cooperation, touching on current foreign policy topics, for example relations with Russia and China.

"The discussion was great and I think we see eye-to-eye and that we know what we want to work together on. We are very glad and I thank you once again," the PM said in summary of the talks.

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