Press Advisories

3. 12. 2012 15:41

Czech Republic and US support Syrian democratization

Prime Minister Petr Nečas has received US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. During their half-hour meeting at the Straka Academy, their main topic of discussion was the situation in Syria and the Middle East. They also dwelt on Afghanistan and cooperation within NATO, and briefly touched on cooperation in civil nuclear energy, including the completion of Temelín power station.

The United States and the Czech Republic are working together in efforts to address the crisis in Syria. As the US embassy in the country has been closed, the Czech Republic has represented the US in consular and diplomatic affairs in Syria since August. Prime Minister Nečas recalled the Czech position during the meeting: “We strongly condemn the ongoing violence in Syria. A solution that is based on military power will not last long. The only lasting solution is a political solution,” said the Prime Minister. On Monday 5 December 2012, Prime Minister Petr Nečas has received US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

In connection with the issue of Afghanistan, during the meeting the Prime Minister assured Secretary Clinton that the Czech Republic, in line with the conclusions of NATO’s May summit, stands ready to support the Afghan government even after the end of the current ISAF mission in 2014. In the future, Czech troops will focus on training Afghan security forces.

Secretary Clinton greatly appreciated both Czech involvement in the stabilization of Afghanistan and Czech attention to the Middle East, including the representation of the US in Syria. Overall, she highlighted the common view that the US and the Czech Republic hold on a number of topical issues within NATO, as well as their cooperation in promoting human rights and democracy in the world.

Temelín tender continues according to plan

Prime Minister Petr Nečas also spoke briefly with Secretary Hillary Clinton about the ongoing tender for the completion of the third and fourth blocks of Temelín Nuclear Power Station. The Prime Minister noted that the tendering procedure was proceeding as planned. “We have transparent procedure in place for the selection and the best bid will win,” he added.

At the joint meeting, the Prime Minister went on to mention the preparations for a Prague-based Czech-American centre of cooperation in civilian nuclear research. This centre is to be located at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering (Department of Energy) of the Czech Technical University, and will act as a contact point for the establishment of cooperation between Czech and American research projects.