Prague, Sept 24 (CTK) – Czech President Milos Zeman and Foreign Minister Lubomir Zaoralek (Social Democrats, CSSD) will visit Sri Lanka on two separate occasions next year, daily Mlada fronta Dnes (MfD) writes yesterday, referring to a schedule of politicians’ foreign trips until the end of 2017.
“The main reason for the visit to Sri Lanka is promotion of business-economic cooperation and the marking of the 60th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations,” Irena Valentova, spokeswoman for the Foreign Ministry, is quoted as saying.
Zeman’s spokesman Jiri Ovcacek mentioned “support for access to the local and Indian market,” MfD writes.
The schedule of foreign trips next year shows that after the foreign minister, who is travelling around the world mainly because of his post, Zeman plans the biggest number of foreign trips, MfD writes.
“There will be the election to the Chamber of Deputies [next autumn], and that is why politicians will be flying less than in the previous years, and if, they will be mainly shorter bligatory trips, such as to Brussels,” a knowledgeable source told MfD.
In addition to Sri Lanka, Zeman is also going to visit Colombia and Vietnam, with the aim to promote economic cooperation, MfD writes.
It writes that Senate chairman Milan Stech (CSSD) is to visit Chile, Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka (CSSD) India and Regional Development Minister Karla Slechtova (ANO) Vietnam.
Culture Minister Daniel Herman (Christian Democrats, KDU-CSL) is to visit Japan “to open the Year of Czech Culture, which would be combined with the inauguration of an exhibition of works by Alfons Mucha and his famous Slav Epopee,” Simona Cigankova, spokeswoman for the ministry, told MfD.
Mucha (1860-1939) is a Czech Art Nouveau paitner and designer.
Some ministers will still go abroad by the end of the year. ducation Minister Katerina Valachova (CSSD) and Labour and Social Affairs Minister Michaela Marksova (CSSD) will attend various conferences in China. Slechtova will go to Ecuador for the same reason, MfD writes.
Chamber of Deputies chairman Jan Hamacek starts a five-day visit to the United States tomorrow.
“I will head a delegation that will represent the Czech Republic at events to commemorate the 80th birth anniversary of president Vaclav Havel in Washington and New York,” Hamacek told MfD.
In the past, some politicians were criticised for their trips having no clear purpose or for taking their families along with them, MfD writes.
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