TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — When Czech Senate President Milos Vystrcil returned from a six-day tour of Taiwan on Saturday (Sept. 5), he was greeted in Prague with supporters carrying signs that read "We are Taiwan."
Czech News Agency (CTK), CNN Prima News, FORUM24, and other Czech media reported that when Vystrcil arrived at Prague airport on Saturday morning, his delegation of 89 participants was cheered by over 100 people. Members of the crowd were seen holding signs that read "Thank You" and "We are Taiwan" in reference to the speech he delivered on Sept. 1 in Taiwan's Legislative Yuan in which he declared "I am Taiwanese."
Vystrcil, fellow senators, Prague Mayor Zdenek Hrib, and other members of the delegation then went directly to the Czech Senate to report the results of their visit to Taiwan and attend a press conference wearing masks embroidered with the flags of Taiwan and the Czech Republic. Vystrcil said the visit had been fruitful in that it had built trust between the two countries and a foundation for cooperation.
He then discussed the results of the Taiwan visit with Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis and various government ministries emphasizing the potential for collaboration between the two nations. He told the media that the next stage is to see whether the government "wants to build barriers or bridges," reported EuroZpravy.
The chairman of the Czech-Taiwanese Business Chamber, Pavel Divis, said that Czech entrepreneurs who were part of the delegation had attended about 280 meetings with their counterparts in Taiwan. Pavel Fischer, chairman of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, said that the Czech Republic and Taiwan have agreed to strengthen cooperation in green innovation industries and defense industries, reported Echo24.
Hrib, who signed a sister city agreement with Taipei Mayor Ke Wenzhe earlier this year, said that the trip to Taiwan has successfully deepened the relationship between Prague and Taipei. During the trip, Taipei agreed to lend two pangolins to the Prague Zoo, and discussed details on a direct flight between the two cities.
Reakce předsedy @SenatCZ @Vystrcil_Milos na přivítání občanů před Kbelským letištěm po příletu z Tchajwanu. #delegace #CR #Tchajwan #CNNPrimaNews pic.twitter.com/EdLKbQrVuH
— Natalie Forsterova (@NForsterova) September 5, 2020
Přivítání na letišti @PragueAirport bylo úžasné!
Nečekali jsme něco takového. Děkujeme. pic.twitter.com/KUv37hgavm
— Petr Šilar (@petr_silar) September 5, 2020
