Press Advisories

13. 12. 2022 19:22

Prime Minister Fiala participated at the conference on Ukraine’s resistance in Paris In Luxembourg he then opened the Václav Havel street

Prime Minister Petr Fiala attended the conference on the resistance of Ukraine, 13 December 2022.
Prime Minister Petr Fiala attended the conference on the resistance of Ukraine, 13 December 2022.
On Tuesday, 13 December 2022, Prime Minister Petr Fiala participated in Paris at the conference on Ukraine’s resistance ‘‘We stand behind the people of Ukraine’’ The aim of the statesmen meeting was to summarise the current damage caused by Russian air strikes throughout Ukraine, to mobilise financial and material assistance for the urgent needs of the country and to prepare it for the coming winter, including the reconstruction of critical infrastructure, especially energy infrastructure. In the French capital, the Prime Minister then visited the European Space Agency and met with its Director General, Josef Aschbacher. In Luxembourg the Prime Minister ceremoniously opened the Václav Havel street and was received by Henri I., the Grand Duke of Luxembourg.

The conference ‘‘We stand behind the people of Ukraine’’ was jointly opened by French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who joined online. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal attended the meeting in person.

"The cooperation of the Western countries is important here in the area of support for Ukraine, because only if a few key things are secured can Ukraine cope with this difficult winter and be able to resist the aggressor - Russian aggression, which has an impact not only on the lives of Ukrainian citizens, but of course also on what is happening in the rest of Europe. Three key things need to be secured, firstly, of course, military aid, so that Ukraine can resist the aggressor and regain its full independence. That is a prerequisite that is necessary to fulfil in order for the war to end,“ stated Prime Minister Petr Fiala and pointed out the Czech Republic’s effort to enable Czech companies to participate at rebuilding Ukraine as much as possible.

The Czech Republic has spent CZK 1 billion on humanitarian aid to Ukraine since the beginning of the conflict. The Prime Minister also recalled that it was necessary to maintain the unity of donors within the EU and outside the EU and avoid  the so-called "Western fatigue from Ukraine". At the conference, a number of countries promised concrete assistance to help Ukraine get through the winter better.

‘‘Those were things that we could describe as big - generators, help with electricity replacement, but also things that we could describe as seemingly small, but that can help Ukraine a lot, like the supply of LED light bulbs to help Ukraine save energy, and other things,“ said Prime Minister adding that the total amount announced at the conference exceeds USD 1 billion.

After the conference, the Prime Minister met with Josef Aschbacher, Director General of the European Space Agency (ESA). ESA has been operating since 1975 and its task is to promote cooperation between European countries in the field of space research and technology.

‘‘The Czech Republic is involved in some 500 projects carried out by the European Space Agency, such as Earth observation, satellite navigation, satellite telecommunications, solar system exploration and microgravity experiments, etc.,“ said the Prime Minister and added that the biggest success of the Czech Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the field of space activities is the negotiation of the EU regulation on IRIS squared, the aim of which is to create a satellite telecommunication mega-constellation that will provide a secure connection for government purposes, but also broadband internet access for EU citizens.

From Paris the Prime Minister travelled to Luxembourg to ceremoniously open the Václav Havel street.

"It is a great honour to have a street named after Václav Havel here in Luxembourg. It is also proof of how the name of Václav Havel and his ideological legacy resonates in the world and in Europe. I think it is also a confirmation that our government's decision to embrace the legacy of Václav Havel in its foreign policy, including the proof of the values, human rights and similar issues that are associated with the name of Václav Havel is right,“ said the Prime Minister.

In Luxembourg Prime Minister Fiala also met with Henri I., the Grand Duke of Luxembourg.  "Our country enjoys excellent relations and deep historical ties thanks to the Luxembourg dynasty. I am also pleased with the relations between our partner towns and municipalities. The Luxembourg municipality of Waldbredimus helped the South Moravian municipality of Hrušky after the devastating tornado that hit the Czech Republic last July. Luxembourg focuses mainly on modern technologies and value-added commodities and is a very promising partner for Czech exporters. Our close cooperation in the European Union and NATO is also important and necessary, and I am very happy that Luxembourg has provided Czech-made drones to Ukraine,“ said Prime Minister Fiala after visiting Luxembourg.

From Luxembourg, the Prime Minister travelled to Brussels where he will attend a summit of the European Union and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and a meeting of the European Council on Wednesday and Thursday, 14 and 15 December.

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