Notes for the European Council on Libya

English Pages, 11. 3. 2011

The Czech Republic considers today’s meeting as very important and timely. We support the measures, including sanctions, that have been introduced up till now on the side of the EU. However, when we looked at the draft of the declaration, we did not find it very persuasive. There is no clear signal coming from it. Short-term and medium and also long-term goals and ambitions should be differentiated.

read more »

Gary Becker As Seen from Prague

English Pages, 11. 2. 2011

President Zimmer, Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Gary,

It is a great pleasure and honor to be here and to get a chance to contribute to the 80^th birthday celebration for Gary Becker, whom I – and I am sure all of us – consider one of the most important economists of the current era. When, on November 16, I sent him a letter congratulating him on his birthday, I didn’t expect that six days later I would get an email from Prof. Lazear with the invitation to deliver this address. In spite of all my presidential duties, I accepted it without hesitation.

read more »

Is the European Unification (and the Deliberate Undermining of Nation-States) a Solution, or a Step to an Ever-Growing Problem?

English Pages, 25. 1. 2011

The two words, „Challenging Prospects“, chosen for this year’s Com.Sult congress have been used as titles of congresses and conferences many times in the past, but this time their use seems to be appropriate, at least when we talk about Europe. We should say loudly what many Europeans, especially their politicians, also see but do not want to admit, that Europe faces a substantial, long-term, very serious problem.

read more »

Remarks on the Czech and Serbian Transformations

English Pages, 20. 1. 2011

Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a real pleasure and honor for me to be here. It gives me an excellent and much needed opportunity to express my sincere thanks and gratitude to you for having elected me a foreign member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts.

It is not a formal, courtesy statement. I have received quite a number of both domestic and international awards and prices but this particular distinction is very special for me.

read more »

Notes for Tripoli EU-Africa Summit

English Pages, 29. 11. 2010

Many thanks for the possibility to be here at this important summit, for the opportunity to meet very distinguished African politicians and for getting a chance to visit for the first time Tripoli as well as Libya.

I represent the Czech Republic, a country in Central Europe which used to have – especially in the second half of the twentieth century under the name of Czechoslovakia – very extensive relations with many of the African countries.

read more »

Dinner address in honor of His Royal Highness Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg

English Pages, 24. 11. 2010

Your Royal Highness, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am, and I am sure we all are, delighted to welcome you in the Czech Republic. I remember a similar, very friendly dinner in your beautiful historic palace in the city of Luxembourg four years ago. I also remember that we both – Your Royal Highness and me – officially opened very representative premises of the Czech embassy in the house of Pierre Werner the following day.

read more »

Notes for the Lisbon NATO Summit

English Pages, 19. 11. 2010

Secretary General, dear colleagues,

Let me say, very briefly, a few words about the topics suggested for this working dinner by the Secretary General.

The Czech Republic has been preparing for a different missile defence system in the past few years but we do support the new NATO organized and NATO controlled missile defense system.

read more »

Notes for the Moscow Speech: Russia Without Prejudices

English Pages, 12. 11. 2010

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Let me start by stressing that it is a great pleasure for me to be here tonight.

The invitation I received from the Alfa Bank was for me in one respect rather special. In the last twenty years, I have been speaking all over the world, but this is the first time I came to Russia just to make a speech. All my other visits here were official. The question is why it is so. What is different here?

read more »

Address of the President of the Czech Republic on the occasion of the Czech National Day, 28 October 2010

English Pages, 28. 10. 2010

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, 

I welcome you at today’s ceremony commemorating the founding of the modern Czech state, which happened precisely ninety-two years ago. 

There is no lack of topics from our present time that would be worth mentioning tonight. We have to deal with the only slowly fading economic crisis and its consequences which have unpleasant impact on the lives of many of our fellow citizens and on the whole state economy.

read more »

Address delivered to the members of the Diplomatic Corps on the occasion of the Czech National Day

English Pages, 28. 10. 2010

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am pleased to welcome all of you here, at the Prague Castle, on the day which has a special significance for the Czechs, for the Czech Republic, for its history, for its present, as well as for its future.

read more »