It is a great pleasure and honour for me to extend my congratulations on the 74th Republic Day of India.
Last year marked the 75th anniversary of the establishment of our diplomatic relations, but the contacts we have developed and cultivated with each other, date back much further. I am pleased that our current bilateral relations are very diverse and build on strong foundations of mutual partnership and rich people-to-people ties.
It is no coincidence that the Policy Statement of the Czech Government lists India, the largest democracy, as one of key democratic partners in the Indo-Pacific region.
As far as the foundations of our bilateral cooperation are concerned, they consist mainly of robust economic relations and, traditionally, defence industry cooperation. I would also like to mention the strong investment presence of India and the growing Indian community in Czechia.
The potential of our cooperation is much broader. Science, research, technology, IT or tourism – these are some of sectors where we would like to see our relations growing further in the future.
I am therefore pleased to note the interest of our foreign ministers, who have met twice during last couple of months – last June in Prague and earlier this month in Vienna – to focus more on topics of science, research and innovation.
I firmly believe that this year we will move forward in initiating the sectoral strategic partnership between Czechia and India focusing on innovation. Minister Lipavský has already confirmed his plan to visit India in the first quarter of this year. Representatives of the business sector, academia and R&D will join him on his visit. This will help to support the establishment of new contacts between Czech and Indian companies, universities and other players.
India has also been our important partner in the multilateral agenda and a partner we want to engage with on global issues – on national level, within the EU-India partnership or in various international fora. Our common goal is an open, secure and rules-based Indo-Pacific, where the foundations of the international order are respected.
In 2023, India is set to become the country with the largest population in the world. At the same time, India´s role and its influence on global political, economic and social issues will become even more significant as the current chair of the G20. I would like to wish India and its Government every success in this important and prestigious task.
To conclude, let me congratulate you, Ambassador, once again. I wish well-being and prosperity to all people of India and to all of you.
Happy Republic Day of India!
The speech was held on the occasion of the 74th Republic Day of India, on 26 January 2023 at the Ambassy of India.