In Brussels, the Prime Minister participated at the EU summit and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)

On Wednesday, 14 December, the Prime Minister Fiala participated at the EU summit and ASEAN in Brussels. On behalf of the European Union the Prime Minister Fiala signed the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement with Malaysia and Thailand, which will set the conditions for even closer cooperation between the European Union and these countries in a number of areas. During the summit, the Prime Minister also held a number of bilateral meetings with top leaders of Southeast Asian countries.

Trade cooperation, but also how Asian countries view Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine. These were the main topics of the summit of the European Union member states’ leaders and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. The summit was held to mark 45 years of diplomatic relations between the two blocs. It was chaired by the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, together with the Prime Minister of Cambodia, Hun Sen, whose country holds the chairmanship of ASEAN in 2022.

‘‘ASEAN is a significant partner both for the European Union and for the Czech Republic and for us as the Czech Republic it is desirable that we support and strengthen relations with this area. I will remind you that the total annual trade turnover with ASEAN countries exceeds CZK 150 billion and there is a great potential for the development of our cooperation,“ said Prime Minister Petr Fiala.

On behalf of the European Union the Prime Minister Fiala signed a Partnership and Cooperation Agreement with Malaysia and Thailand, which will open room for concluding agreements and investments with these countries.

‘‘On behalf of the European Union I am pleased to sign a Partnership and Cooperation Agreement with Malaysia and Thailand, which will open room for concluding agreements and investments with these countries. We are thus confirming a cooperation plan that focuses not only on economic but also on political, security and socio-cultural cooperation, which is important at this time when we need to engage in dialogue with regions that are close to us and can deepen cooperation in a very complicated international environment,“ stated Prime Minister Fiala.

During the summit Prime Minister Fiala also participated at a number of bilateral meetings. He met with the president of Indonesia Joko Widod, the president of the Philippines Bongongog Marcos and the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand Prajutch Čan-Očou, the Prime Minister of Singapore Li Sien Lung and the Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam Pham Minh Chính.

"We are counting on long-term support for cooperation with the countries of Southeast Asia. It is one of our priorities and it is good that we are succeeding in fulfilling it. Negotiations are underway, for example, on the introduction or re-establishment of direct air routes, which would be very important for tourism, as well as for mutual trade and strengthening our ties - here we are very close to the final implementation with Thailand, for example,“ said Prime Minister adding that the aim of today's bilateral talks was to open the door to other Czech companies in this promising region and thus diversify business opportunities for the Czech Republic in the  region.

"With the Prime Minister of Vietnam we discussed our mutual interest in the development of the automotive industry in the country and Škoda Auto's participation in it, as well as further economic cooperation. We will celebrate 50 years of cooperation with the Philippines next year, and this should be a starting point for further expansion of cooperation. We want to cooperate in particular in agriculture and defence industry,“ added the Prime Minister.