The Diplomat
The Ambassador of the Czech Republic in Madrid, Ivan Jančárek stressed on Wednesday that the Czech Republic and Spain are two countries and friends who grow closer every year. He did so in his speech at a reception at his residence to mark Czech State Day.
The reception was attended by most of the ambassadors of the European Union, whose Council is presided over by the Czech Republic during this six-month period, as well as representatives of the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including the undersecretary of the department, Luis Cuesta, members of Parliament who are members of the rapporteur for the forthcoming Spanish Presidency of the EU created within the Joint Congress-Senate Commission for the European Union, ambassadors from other countries and representatives of different sectors of Spanish society.
Alongside the flags of the Czech Republic, Spain and the European Union, there was also the Ukrainian flag, whose anthem was also played alongside the first three flags, and which was represented by the Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy in Madrid, Gennady Salykin.
In his speech, the Ambassador noted that “the whole world is experiencing an unprecedented turbulent period, due to the unjust and cruel war in Ukraine” and asked whether “do we want to return to the 19th century, when the great powers decided the fate of nations, or do we want to create a world where all states, small or large, have the opportunity to develop independently in peace and tranquillity on the basis of the UN Charter and the principles of multilateralism and international law?”.
Noting that “states, governments and citizens do not want violent border changes”, Jančárek expressed his admiration for “the heroic behaviour of the Ukrainian people” and expressed his confidence that, “thanks to the help of the whole democratic world, the war and Russian aggression in Ukraine will end soon”.
The Ambassador recalled that the motto of the Czech EU Presidency -“Europe as a task”- is the title of a speech given by former Czech and Czech-Slovak President Václav Havel when he received the Charlemagne Prize, and said that “the only way forward is to respect democratic development, to detach ourselves from the materialistic view of the development of society and to strive to correct climate change while maintaining social peace in our societies”.
Noting that 44 European heads of state will meet in Prague next month and that the European political community will seek answers to current challenges, Jančárek said that “the European Union has a clear objective to remain open to those who wish to become its members”.
Referring to the Conference on the Future of Europe, he pointed out that citizens want a European Union that shows more solidarity, that promotes their values in the world, that is more economically active. “I believe that after the negotiations in Prague, it will be clearer how cooperation on the European continent will develop. We hope that the Swedish Presidency and then the Spanish Presidency will continue to implement the recommendations of the Conference”.
With regard to bilateral relations, he stressed that “the Czech Republic and Spain are allies, members of a European family and friendly countries”. “This is proved – he added – by our economic cooperation, our political contacts, but above all by the relations between citizens.”
He acknowledged that in 2022 the pre-Covid19 numbers in terms of tourism or student exchange will not be reached, but said that the trend for 2023 is obvious: “Czechia and Spain are getting closer every year,” he assured.
