Foreign

Interview with Milan Sedláček, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Czech Republic to Azerbaijan, to APA

Everyone in Azerbaijan knows our country, its capital Prague, the city of Karlovy Vary, and Czech beer well

- Mr. Ambassador, how do you assess the level of development of our bilateral relations?

- Both countries have taken all possible measures to develop these relations. You know that the foundation of bilateral relations between the Czech Republic and Azerbaijan was laid in January 1993. And this is not one or two years. In 2023, we celebrated the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and the Czech Republic. Our country's embassy in Baku began operating in 2010, and its first ambassador was Radek Matula. Since that time, you can witness the successful development of relations between our countries. In this sense, the main advantage I have is that when someone says that I am from the Czech Republic, they don't look for our country on the map. On the contrary, everyone in Azerbaijan knows our country, its capital Prague, the city of Karlovy Vary, Czech beer well, and most importantly, the famous car brand produced in our country. Our countries have rich resources. Therefore, we will continue to work to continue the successful development of relations between the Czech Republic and Azerbaijan. I am very happy to represent our country here as the fourth ambassador. I believe that our relations will continue in the future too.

40-45% of the Czech Republic's oil demand is met through imports from Azerbaijan

- On September 15, 2015, a "Joint Declaration on Strategic Cooperation" was signed between the Czech Republic and Azerbaijan in Baku. We would like you to briefly revise the work done to implement this document since its signing.

- You are very right. All these declarations are theoretically important. Their implementation depends on both us as state officials and specific individuals. I think that the issues of cooperation in the areas of energy, culture, and education, as well as political dialogue, are reflected in the legal document that you mentioned. The cooperation between our countries in all these areas is gradually advancing. We, in turn, are striving to develop partnerships in the sectors I mentioned above. I would like to mention both the meetings between representatives of the political leadership and cooperation in the energy sector. Azerbaijan, as one of our main partners, supplies our country with oil. According to current information, 40-45 percent of the Czech Republic's oil demand is met through imports from Azerbaijan. The declaration we are talking about forms the basis for building future relations. I would also like to note that the Czech Republic-Azerbaijan Intergovernmental Joint Commission is operating and is giving a positive impetus to the development of our relations. The last meeting of the commission was held last year. We plan to hold this year's commission meeting in Baku. All this work is being carried out by the "Joint Declaration on Strategic Cooperation". Someone may call it just a political document, but we attach great importance to that declaration. Therefore, we are interested in developing cooperation in political, economic, cultural, educational, and other areas, especially political dialogue with Azerbaijan.

- What prospects do you see for development in the sectors you mentioned above?

- First of all, I would like to say that you have probably also observed the changes taking place in world politics, especially in Europe and the United States, in recent days, weeks, months, and years. Of course, these changes will not go unnoticed in mutual relations.

I believe that our diplomacy will respond to these changes in a real and adequate way. Of course, what is happening in Europe shows that these events will also have a positive impact on our relations. I am telling you this as a diplomat.

Prague became a witness to the first meeting between the parties after the events in Garabagh

- The last visit of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to Prague was on October 6-7, 2022. The last visit of a presidential level from the Czech Republic to Azerbaijan was on September 15-17, 2015. At that time, former President Miloš Zeman visited Baku. What steps have been taken to develop our relations over the past 9 months?

-  You know that the system in the Czech Republic is somewhat different. The main figure there is considered to be the Prime Minister. There are regular meetings between the Prime Minister of our country, Petr Fiala, and the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev. You touched upon the official visit of President Ilham Aliyev to the Czech Republic within the framework of the Eastern Partnership Summit in October 2022. Everyone remembers that the visit of President Ilham Aliyev at that time played an important role in the further development of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Because the foundation for subsequent discussions was laid precisely during that visit. I think that Prague witnessed the first meeting between the parties after what happened in Garabagh at that time. There are good relations between both the government and political figures in our country and politicians working in Azerbaijan. And this is a very important issue. 

I am satisfied with all the work done so far

- 30 documents covering cooperation issues in various fields have been signed between Azerbaijan and the Czech Republic. We would also like to take a look at the activities of the Intergovernmental Joint Commission, which has been operating since 2011. So far, 5 meetings of the said commission have been held. The last meeting took place in March 2023. To summarize, what innovations or proposals are there regarding the implementation of these documents and the activities of the commission?

- Unfortunately, at present, the commission does not have co-chairs from both the Czech Republic and Azerbaijan. The former co-chair from Azerbaijan, Sahib Mammadov, is currently working in another position. For this reason, we have not been able to continue the work done so far. I have attended many meetings of this commission, including those held in Russia and Kazakhstan. Such events give a great impetus to the activities of both entrepreneurs and officials. As for the work of the commission, it is difficult to say exactly how many meetings and events have been held so far. The most tangible result of its activities is the signed business agreements the implementation of which will begin between our countries. I am satisfied with all the work done so far. I believe that we will be able to see their results shortly.

Trade turnover between our countries is increasing

- According to official statistics, in 2022, the trade turnover between our countries was 922 million 190 thousand, and the total volume of import-export operations amounted to approximately 1 billion 56 million 973 thousand US dollars. In 2023, however, our mutual trade turnover stood at 684 million 215 thousand US dollars. Considering that both countries have strong economic potential, what steps should be taken to increase these figures?

- Indeed, based on data from the Czech Statistical Office, the trade turnover between our countries is increasing. This is an issue that can be influenced by several factors. For example, I would like to mention the pandemic period. During those two years, all global processes came to a halt. Everything had to start from scratch. For example, there were flights from Baku to Prague before. Initially, in 2022, one flight was operated, later the number of flights increased to two, and now three flights are being conducted. We are currently in negotiations with the management of AZAL (Azerbaijan Airlines) to increase the number of flights Because there is high demand for this route. If you want to visit Prague, you will see that the flights are often fully booked. There is especially a high demand for direct flights from Baku to Karlovy Vary. I think this is a very positive development. The situation in the world has developed in such a way that oil has become a crucial element for us. As you know, since January 1, we have stopped importing oil and gas from Russia. Therefore, energy cooperation is of great importance for our country. This issue is at the heart of meetings and phone conversations between state officials. The Czech Republic is also proposing joint projects in the field of green energy with Azerbaijan, as well as the construction of small-scale hydropower plants. Our country is interested in creating mobile power plants in the liberated areas of Garabagh to expand the energy resources of the region. We hope that this issue will soon enter the stage of negotiations and, ultimately, agreements. Work is currently underway on this matter.

The roots of global changes should be sought in the 1990s

-We would also like to touch upon the global agenda. Although the war between Russia and Ukraine began in February 2022, the period of rising tensions dates back to 2014. Since then, the global political axis has shifted. The current situation not only poses threats to Europe but also to a wider area. In such circumstances, how can the cooperation between our countries contribute to global security?

- You know, this is a very serious and important question. Throughout human history, the vectors of world events have constantly changed. Unfortunately, we do not learn from these historical events. I believe that the roots of the current global changes should be sought in the 1990s. At that time, the multipolar world was replaced by a unipolar world. Many politicians failed to take this factor into account. What is happening today in the global arena is the result of this misjudgment. You are probably familiar with Christopher Clark's book The Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War in 1914. Many of today's politicians resemble those "sleepwalkers." They are not thinking about the consequences of the events happening in the world. I believe that the time has come to bring order to what has already occurred. Unfortunately, all these events are affecting people's thinking. The foundation of the world has been fragmented into several generations. It remains for us to hope that we will overcome this and that history's cycle will eventually return to a period of less tension. Unfortunately, this will remain so for a certain period because the cycle turns in different directions each time. We believe that people will eventually sit down at the negotiating table and engage in discussions. As a diplomat, finding a compromise is crucial for me. Diplomacy, in essence, is the art of making concessions. If that weren't the case, what would be the point of diplomacy? Then, only wars would occur. I believe that now is the time to sit down at the table and try to reach an agreement.

Photo - Rufat Mustafayev © APA GROUP

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