Press Advisories
16. 5. 201323:57
Prime Minister: we are linked to Lithuania by economics and security
During a visit to Lithuania Prime Minister Petr Nečas has met the Lithuanian Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevičius. In Vilnius Prime Minister Nečas then gave a speech at the European Humanities University, and met students there.
Prime Minister Petr Nečas thanked Lithuanian Prime Minister Butkevičius for his invitation to Vilnius and recalled the joint interests of the two countries. “Lithuania is a country to which we are linked by economic ties as well as by political, security and cultural links,” said the Prime Minister.
Mutual trade has accelerated
Both Prime Ministers discussed mutual economic links, security questions and the upcoming Lithuanian Presidency of the EU Council. According to the Czech Prime Minister mutual trade has recovered its vigour after the years of the economic recession. “It is in collaboration and sharing of experience between Czech and Lithuanian companies that we find one of the ways in which to survive in economically difficult times,” Petr Nečas noted.
Many Czech products are now well known in Lithuania. These are high-quality, competitive goods, such as the train units running on the Vilnius-Kaunas route, supplied by Škoda Transportation. “I am therefore pleased to have been accompanied to Lithuania by a Czech business mission which will be dealing with Lithuanian partners, which will surely contribute to the growth of our mutual trade,” the Czech Prime Minister added.
We are linked by our security concerns
We are also linked to Lithuania by our security interests. As part of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation Czech forces have now successfully taken part in the Baltic Air Policing mission, as well as sharing in the defence of airspace over the Baltics (May – August 2009, September 2012 – January 2013). “During our discussions we also talked about the current situation in Afghanistan, both of our countries are involved in providing for its security and stability as part of the NATO ISAF mission,” Prime Minister Nečas noted.
Lithuania to preside over the EU
The Czech Republic is also collaborating with Lithuania within international organisations. The two Prime Ministers discussed current European topics. In the second half of this year Lithuania will take over the Presidency of the European Union. “I greatly appreciate the direction which the Presidency priorities established by Lithuania represent, in particular the emphasis on completion of the internal market, competitiveness and support for economic growth, and I wished the Prime Minister every success,” the Prime Minister added.
Lithuania is also an important partner of ours in the regional context. Both countries are involved in the EU Eastern Partnership project, which Prime Minister Nečas also discussed with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk during his recent visit to Poland.
Prime Minister Nečas also emphasised the Czech Republic’s interesting in developing cooperation between the Visegrad group and the Baltic states, one of the priorities of the recent Czech Presidency of the V4. “Mutual relations between the Czech Republic and Lithuania are excellent. I am delighted to have been able to meet Prime Minister Butkevičius today and thereby to contribute to the strengthening of Czech-Lithuanian collaboration,” stated the Czech Prime Minister in conclusion.
Prime Minister Nečas in discussions with students
“The message of freedom is something that students should not forget. These are people who are in a position to change much within their country. Belarus has a promising future, secured by the younger generation which is growing up in Belarus or outside its borders. Freedom means above all freedom of choice, freedom of speech. These are two fundamental things,” said Prime Minister Peter Nečas during his meeting with students from the European Humanities University (EHU), where he gave an address. This is a Belarussian university in exile which relocated to Vilnius from Minsk in 2004 in order to escape pressure from the Belarussian government. The Czech Republic provides financial assistance for its work. When meeting the students, the Czech Prime Minister reminded them of the long history of Czech-Belarussian relations and the similar historical experiences of the two countries.