Prague, July 19 (CTK) – Twelve new economic diplomats will start working at the Czech diplomatic missions in Canada, Germany, Ghana, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Jordan, Malaysia, the Philippines, South Africa, Taiwan and the United States this year, Deputy Foreign Minister Martin Tlapa told CTK yesterday.
Their task will be to help Czech firms succeed on the local market and mediate contacts with business partners in the given country.
Earlier this year, diplomats focusing on agriculture and food industry joined the Czech embassies in China, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Serbia.
In 2015, Czech economic diplomats were sent to seven diplomatic missions. The first Czech diplomat for research has been operating in Israel since October 2015.
Tlapa said the Czech Republic wants to increase its economic activities in developing countries. Some diplomats were moved from the European Union to diplomatic missions outside the EU, he said.
Except for Zimbabwe, all Czech embassies in Sub-Saharan Africa have their economic diplomat, Tlapa said.
In June, Tlapa said developmental aid and economic interests can be connected. Czech Developmental Agency head Michal Kaplan said then developmental aid should also be seen as a kind of investment because it helps create new markets for Czech products.
Tlapa said the Czech Republic would like to newly have ambassadors in Iran and Cuba.
The contacts between Iran and the EU intensified after a deal on the Iranian nuclear programme and the international sanctions against Iran were lifted last summer. Czech firms may use the opportunities in the fields of nuclear power, engineering, mining, and petrochemical and aircraft industries in Iran.
After the USA restored diplomatic relations with Cuba one year ago, other countries followed suit.
The former Czechoslovakia was one of the most important economic partners of Cuba. After the fall of the country’s communist regime in 1989, Prague became one of the strongest critics of Havana and the violations of human rights under Fidel Castro.
Tlapa said the relations between Prague and Havana have been restarted and a delegation of Czech entrepreneurs is going to visit Cuba in September.
He said he hopes Cuba will be interested in turning the Czech diplomatic mission into an embassy.
In 2015, a Czech embassy opened in Colombia. In Gibraltar, a Czech general consulate started operating yesterday.
Tlapa said Prague would like to reopen the embassy in Tripoli in future, but this depended on the security situation in Libya.
