Scheduled Events

22. 2. 200811:05

February 26 - 29, 2008: Working Visit to the United States and Canada

Between February 26 and 28, 2008, Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek of the Czech Republic will be visiting the United States. He will be accompanied by Defence Minister Vlasta Parkanová, Interior Minister Ivan Langer, and Transportation Minister Aleš Øebíèek. A meeting with the US Secretary of Trade Carlos Gutierrez is planned for Tuesday, February 26. This will be devoted to economic matters and the current situation in Cuba. Premier Mirek Topolánek will also visit the prestigious Heritage Foundation to deliver a lecture, he will pay tribute to the victims of communism by laying a wreath of flowers at their memorial, and meet Cuban, Belarusian and Burmese dissidents.

On Wednesday, February 27, the Czech Premier will meet US President George W. Bush in the Oval Office in the White House. Their talks will centre primarily on ending the visa asymmetry betwen the two countries, eventual installation of the elements of the anti-missile defence system in the Czech Republic, and the forthcoming NATO summit to be held in Bucharest in April.The program of the visit to the United States includes other meetings and bilateral negotiations with representative of the US political and business circles.

The Czech government delegation will then continue its official tour with a visit to Canada on February 28 and 29. In Ottawa, Premier Mirek Topolánek will meet his Canadian counterpart Stephen Harper, and will also confer with Noël Kinsella, Chairman of the Senate of the Canadian Parliament, and Peter Milliken, Chairman of the Parliament’s Lower House. In Toronto, the Czech Prime Minister will inaugurate an exhibition entitled Lost Neighbours which traces the destiny of the people who disappeared during the Holocaust in World War II. Mirek Topolánek will also visit the extensive community of Czech expatriates in Canada.

Press Department of the Office of the Government of the Czech Republic