German foreign minister in Prague:Central European network of firefighters needed

The fire in the Bohemian Switzerland National Park, which has now spread over the border to Germany, unexpectedly topped the agenda of German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock’s working visit to Prague. After talks with her Czech counterpart Jan Lipavský, Minister Baerbock said the fire clearly showed the need for a close-knit Central European network of firefighters, helicopters and aircraft who would be on standby for similar emergencies.

Other issues on the agenda were Czech-German relations, the situation in Ukraine and the priorities of the Czech EU Presidency. The two officials also signed a Strategic Dialogue work program for the period 2022-2024. In the afternoon the German foreign minister paid homage to the victims  of the Lidice massacre committed by the Nazis on June10, 1942 in retaliation for the killing of Nazi governor Reinhard Heydrich.