Prime Minister met with Swedish State Secretary Salestrand to discuss increased cooperation between the countries in the area of defence and security

On the second day of his working visit, Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka met with the State Secretary to the Ministry of Defence of the Kingdom of Sweden, Jan Salestrand. The common theme of the meeting was the developing cooperation between the CR and Sweden in defence and security and the potential for its further deepening. During the morning programme, Prime Minister Sobotka also met with the President of the City Council, Eva-Louise Erlandsson Slorach.

Cooperation in the areas of security and defence is one of the pillars of Czech-Swedish relations. Intensive political dialogue is taking place between the Defence Ministries and practical cooperation is also being developed in a number of areas, e.g. in protection against weapons of mass destruction, arms and training. The clearest and most programme to date in Czech-Swedish defence cooperation involves the lease of Swedish JAS39 Gripen fighter jets. It is primarily the defence industry, where both countries have much to offer the other, which shows potential for further deepening of defence and security cooperation. The Swedish-Czech Defence Industry Day, which took place on October 12 2016 in Stockholm, was of great assistance in identifying potential areas for practical collaboration.

During the morning programme, Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka met the highest ranking representative of the city at Stockholm City Hall, President of the City Council, Eva-Louise Erlandsson Slorach. They discussed topics that both Stockholm and Czech cities are currently addressing, such as affordable housing, public transport development, the Smart Cities concept and cooperation within the Network of European Cities and Regions.

In the afternoon, Prime Minister Sobotka visited the Karolinska Institutet, which works closely with the CEITEC Research Institute Centre in Brno. The leading Swedish medical university in Stockholm, it focuses exclusively on medical care and offers the widest range of medical education in Sweden, while also ranking among the 50 best universities in the world and the 10 most prestigious medical universities in Europe. During his visit, Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka also examined the X-ray and micro- and nano- tomographic laboratory.

The Karolinska Institutet actively collaborates with the CEITEC Czech research centre in Brno, which integrates research and development in the fields of life sciences and advanced materials and technology. CEITEC was established as a joint project by the six most important Brno universities and research institutions, with the support of the South-Moravian region and the City of Brno. CEITEC and the Karolinska Institutet share projects in the areas of pharmacology, drug metabolism and biochemistry, among others.

The site of the Karolinska Institutet also houses the largest hospital in the Stockholm region, Nya Karolinska, which Prime Minister Sobotka also visited. The hospital is scheduled to open and to admit the first patients in autumn 2016. The new hospital is presented as a medical facility with the highest level of digitalisation in Sweden. The company Linet, which is the exclusive supplier of state-of-the-art hospital beds for all the hospitals in the Stockholm region, has left an important mark on this project.

During the second day of his visit, Prime Minister Sobotka met with members of a business delegation led by the Confederation of Industry of the Czech Republic, which accompanied him on his working trip, along with representatives of Czech companies operating successfully on the Swedish market.

At the end of his visit to Sweden, Prime Minister Sobotka paid his respects to the former Swedish prime minister and long-term Chairman of the Swedish Social Democrats, Olof Palme by placing a wreath at his grave to mark the thirtieth anniversary of his tragic death this year. In August 1968, Palme sharply condemned the invasion of Czechoslovakia by the Warsaw Pact armies.