Press Advisories

15. 1. 2019 14:45

On his second day in Singapore, Prime Minister visited the CETRAN Research Centre and a business forum, talked with ministers and christened an orchid

Christening of Dendrobia Andrej Babiš, January 15, 2019.
Christening of Dendrobia Andrej Babiš, January 15, 2019.
On 15 January 2019, Prime Minister Andrej Babiš continued his one-week trip to Asia. He visited the Centre of Excellence for Testing & Research of Autonomous Vehicles, met with the Honorary Consul of the Czech Republic in Singapore, talked with the ministers of finance and foreign affairs and opened the Czech-Singaporean Business Forum.

Prime Minister Andrej Babis opened the second day in Singapore with a meeting with the Honorary Consul of the Czech Republic in Singapore, Mr Kwee Liong Seen. The Prime Minister awarded him with a commemorative silver medal of Jan Masaryk as an appreciation of his work in developing mutual relations.

Then, together with the Minister of Industry and Trade, he spoke at the Czech-Singaporean Business Forum, where he highlighted Singapore’s economic successes and talked about things that both countries have in common. The Prime Minister also announced that he had agreed with the Minister of Foreign Affairs Tomáš Petříček to open the Czech Embassy in Singapore as soon as possible.

“We consider Singapore to be very interesting in terms of trade. This is evidenced by the presence of the representatives of Czech companies. Singapore is an ally with whom we share the values of democracy, rights and the determination to fight terrorism on a global scale. We want to develop cooperation in education, science, research and innovation. We see Singapore not only as a business partner but also as a source of inspiration thanks to its economic cooperation with foreign governments”, said the Prime Minister at the Business Forum.

After opening the business forum, Andrej Babiš held talks with Singaporean Finance Minister Heng Swee Keate and Minister of Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan. The talks focused above all on supporting free trade and coping with the current economic challenges. According to the Prime Minister, Singapore is one of the key partners in Southeast Asia.

At the end of the day, the Czech Prime Minister visited CETRAN, a research centre for the development of autonomous vehicles. During the visit, the  UCT and Nanyang Technological University concluded a Memorandum of Cooperation. During the tour of the research centre, Andrej Babiš and the Minister of Industry and Trade Marta Nováková took a ride in an autonomous vehicle. The Prime Minister has learned about the development of autonomous electric buses and their commissioning in 2022. "Interestingly, they do not know how the public will respond, because getting on a bus without a driver can be a psychological problem for people. But all manufacturers of cars and buses are going in this direction. The fact that we have signed a partnership and can participate in it is beneficial to us”, said the Prime Minister.

Apart from the meeting, Andrej Babiš also visited a botanical garden where he christened an orchid. According to tradition, the flower now bears the name of the Czech Prime Minister – Dendrobium Andrej Babiš. “It is a great honour. The garden is fantastic. We even met a Czech lady who works here. That is evidence that our people can make it anywhere”, added the Prime Minister.

In the afternoon, the Prime Minister and the delegation travelled from Singapore to Bangkok, Thailand, where they will continue the trip.

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