Czech President Petr Pavel and his wife Eva welcomed outgoing Polish President Andrzej Duda and his wife Agata Kornhauser-Duda at Prague Castle this morning. Duda will be replaced by president-elect Karol Nawrocki in August.
After about 20 minutes of bilateral talks between the presidents, the Polish and Czech delegations met together. Shortly after noon, the two presidents held a press conference.
Speaking to journalists after the meeting, Duda said he believed cooperation between the two countries would continue under his successor.
President Pavel stressed the high quality of relations with Poland, which he said were not only thanks to the long history and shared values between the two countries, but also because of interests in security, energy and the economy.
Pavel said the two neighbouring countries also have a high quality of people-to-people relations and cross-border cooperation, and are partners in the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. He noted the important cooperation between the defence industries of both countries, especially in the context of European defence capability.
Both the Czech Republic and Poland are supporting Ukraine with material aid, but also with political, diplomatic and financial assistance, Pavel said. They also support the country’s membership in the EU, and prospectively NATO, he added. “We also see this as a better way to ensure the security and stability of Europe,” he noted.
“Russian imperialism must be stopped and Vladimir Putin cannot win the war. We must do everything to make this happen,” Duda said.
The Polish head of state praised the Czech ammunition initiative, which has seen more than three million rounds of ammunition delivered to Ukraine, according to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
Pavel noted that Poland is the second most important economic partner of the Czech Republic, after Germany.
Duda said it was important to improve communication infrastructure between the two countries, whether the construction of high-speed railways or the modernisation of conventional railways and roads.
Pavel and Duda also met the week before last at the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) summit in The Hague. Duda will be replaced in early August by Nawrocki, who won the recent presidential election against Rafal Trzaskowski, the liberal candidate of the ruling Civic Coalition.
Following the election of the conservative Nawrocki, Pavel said he believed that under his leadership Poland would continue to develop its democratic and pro-Western direction. He said the Czech Republic and Poland should continue their cooperation.
