Czech Foreign Ministry reviews priority goals and how to achieve them

The Czech Foreign Ministry has launched a far reaching review of what its future priorities should be and how it can achieve them. The review is aimed at adapting policy to global changes over the last few years and also the ministry’s stretched resources.

Karel Schwarzenberg, photo: CTK

Czech foreign policy was last subject to a far reaching review between 2003 and 2006 in the run up to EU membership in 2004 and afterwards. A rethink had been expected soon after but in the run up to the Czech Presidency of the European Union in 2009 that somehow got sidelined.

Now Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg believes that the time is ripe to take stock of what has gone before and fine tune Czech policy for the future. This is what he had to say about the review at a packed public seminar co-hosted by the Association for International Affairs on Monday night.

“Foreign policy adapts every year and every month to new circumstances. It should never be absolutely rigid. It should keep to the basic principles but adopt to the circumstances.”

Photo: European Commission

Some of the changes that need to be factored in include the increased risk not so much from rogue states but from stand alone movements with a cause or chip on the shoulder. The world has also moved on over the last decade, the Czech economy has grown faster than most of its European neighbours but Europe is still being outpaced by many Asian and Latin American counties and, of course, China.

Ministry resources are also tight and there is a stress on pushing the diplomatic service to better pay its way by advancing business and economic interests as well. But doesn’t a greater stress on a commercial foreign policy clash with the Czech Republic’s traditional stress on human rights whatever the cost in terms of foreign contracts, sales and jobs? Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg again.

“Human rights are first. So if we have to choose in a certain country to shut our mouth to promote our business, then we will not shut our mouth. That is very clear. Basically if you are constant on it, even not so very nice dictatorships accept it. If you once agree to something you are lost. But if you keep up this principle in each country and they know you will not cede to any country, whether big or small, then they accept it. Maybe they think you are mad, but they accept it.”

Czech forces in Afghanistan, photo: Czech Army

It is pretty clear that two planks of Czech foreign policy: the trans-Atlantic relationship with the United States and the European Union will still be centre stage. But EU countries are still exploring where they are in the new environment following the Lisbon Treaty and hoped for strengthening of EU foreign policy. The US has also reset of its Russian relations and the huge question about Afghanistan still hangs over the West and NATO. So some reflection here will also be necessary. The Foreign Minister says the results of the review should be ready within a few months.