Zeman vows to promote Czech business on foreign trips

Prague, March 11 (CTK) - New Czech President Milos Zeman will support trade by taking successful Czech businesspeople along with him for his foreign trips, Zeman said at a meeting with foreign diplomats yesterday.

Zeman said it was the joint task of the international community to combat terrorism.

States should respect one another and not interfere in internal affairs of other countries, he added.

At the close of his speech, Zeman said he would take rather big teams of Czech businesspeople to the countries he would visit abroad.

"I can assure you that these will be only successful businesspeople, not those close to bankruptcy," he added.

Zeman spoke similarly before he was elected.

He told CTK in January that he would like to support Czech export by travelling to the dynamic economies of China, Russia, India and Brazil.

Zeman said he would try to attract foreign investors to the Czech Republic.

"As you know the Czech Republic has a highly skilled, but unfortunately cheap manpower," Zeman said.

At the beginning of his speech, Zeman thanked the ambassadors for their previous work.

Zeman recalled that he had already had informal meetings with some of them before he was elected and inaugurated.

Zeman said at the close of his speech: "Welcome to Prague, welcome to what is, as you know, the most beautiful town in the world."

Vatican ambassador Giuseppe Leanza greeted Zeman on behalf of foreign diplomats.

"God bless you, God bless the Czech Republic," Leanza said.

Leftist candidate Zeman was inaugurated for his five-year term in office on Friday. He replaced conservative former president Vaclav Klaus (2003-2013).

Unlike Klaus, Zeman supports European integration.

He plans to put up the flag of the European Union at Prague Castle, the seat of the Czech heads of state.

He has invited president of the European Commission Jose Barroso to the ceremony.

Zeman said earlier he would put up the EU flag in the second half of March.

Zeman said on Sunday he would sign the European Stabilisation Mechanism (ESM).

Eurosceptical Klaus refused to sign the EMS although it had been approved by the parliament and the Senate asked him to do so.