TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) on Monday (July 11) met with Czech representative to Taiwan Patrick Rumlar, who will soon return home to be promoted to head of Asia-Pacific Affairs in the Czech government after a four-year stint in Taipei.
Su thanked Rumlar for his efforts in greatly improving the relationship between Taiwan and the Czech Republic. The visit by Milos Vystrcil, president of the Czech Senate, in August 2020 was the highest-level and largest delegation to Taiwan, the premier said, adding that it was made possible thanks to Rumlar.
Su said trade volume between the two countries has increased significantly in recent years. Taiwan's investment in the Czech Republic has also seen a large boost, making it the 10th largest investor in Europe, he said.
When Russia invaded Ukraine, Taiwan and the Czech Republic worked together to help Ukrainian refugees, Su noted. The two countries collaboratively contributed to the fight for freedom, peace, and democracy, he said.
Su pointed out that the Czech Senate passed a resolution to support Taiwan’s participation in international organizations, and the Czech representative also spoke up for Taiwan at the World Health Assembly. For these acts, he expressed gratitude to the Czech government and senate.
Su also said there is a lot more the two nations can cooperate on in the fields of science and technology, tourism, and education.
Rumlar said that it is an honor to complete a four-year term in Taiwan. The Czech Republic and Taiwan are very close partners, and they are united in the shared values of freedom, democracy, and human rights, he said.
The areas and scope of cooperation between the two countries are constantly expanding, he said. In addition to traditional trade, technology, and humanities, it has also expanded to smart cities, artificial intelligence, smart agriculture, and forestry, he said.
Rumlar said he hopes to facilitate direct flights between Taipei and Prague, so as to shorten the distance between the two countries and facilitate closer interactions.
The Czech government has also come up with a list of democratic partners in the Indo-Pacific region, he said. Taiwan is on the list alongside Japan, South Korea, and India, he said, adding that the Czech government is very interested in deepening relations with Taiwan.
The representative said the Czech Republic will hold the presidency of the Council of the EU from July 1 to December 2022 and will continue the EU's Indo-Pacific strategic policy. In EU affairs, the priority is the reconstruction of Ukraine and strengthening Europe's overall defense and economic and democratic resilience.
