Czech President Miloš Zeman plans to visit five countries next year, including Austria, Hungary and China.
According to Jindrák, the number of state visits is not important – whether it be low or high. He said it is not a competition and expressed the belief that the system, the meaning and benefits of the President’s state visits should be at the center of attention. Chief of the Czech Presidential Office’s foreign section also added that so far there have been planned state visits only during the first half of 2019.
It was clear soon after Zeman´s success in the presidential election that he will place an emphasis on Prague’s relations with its neighbors. That´s why the Czech President plans to visit Austria as well as Hungary, “our honorary neighbor“, in next few months. “In my point of view, our neighbors are a clear priority of Czech diplomacy, because I think we need to have extraordinary relationships with them. I am convinced that we are fulfilling this idea successfully within Visegrad,“ Jindrák said.
Speaking about other priority countries, Jindrák mentioned the US as well as Russia, China, Germany, Great Britain and France. “These are countries that have a strong impact on our domestic policy, so I think it´s right to focus on them,“ Jindrák explained, adding that the Czech Republic should not further omit, for example, Serbia that plays an important role in ensuring the long-term stability of the Balkans.
Despite the current complicated relationship due to the controversy surrounding Huawei, the president plans to visit China as well. Jindrák stressed the need to understand China’s role in foreign and world politics. “It is the second strongest economy in the world, perhaps it will be the first. But China has also become a strong political power, at least in a regional format,“ he said.
