Czech premier visits Afghanistan

Prime Minister Petr Nečas paid an unexpected visit to Czech troops in Afghanistan over the weekend. According to the information released to the media on Sunday, the prime minister met with Afghanistan’s president Hamid Karzai in Kabul on Saturday and visited the Czech army bases in the Logar and Vardak provinces the following day. According to Mr Nečas, the two leaders spoke about Afghanistan’s interest in the Czech-made L-159 light combat aircraft, as well as cooperation in industrial development, transportation and education.

The Czech prime minister assured his host that Czech troops are willing to continue training Afghan soldiers even after 2014, when the International Security Assistance Force mission will end. The Czech side is hoping to secure business contracts in Afghanistan, for example in the area of transportation infrastructure. The Afghan president welcomed these plans and expressed his hope to begin working on specific projects in the near future, according to the Czech News Agency.