Chancellor Gerhard Schroder, in visit, also aims to improve ties
Published:
18 September 2003 y., Thursday
Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla paced, young soldiers in dress uniform smirked and photographers scrambled for position as German Chancellor Gerhard Schroder arrived Sept. 5 for his first state visit to the Czech Republic in almost four years.
It was a symbolic visit from a neighbor and world leader who had canceled his last trip to Prague in disgust. The national anthems were played and the red carpet was rolled out, but behind the pomp and ceremony there was also an agenda.
Schroder's visit was part of a wider whistle-stop tour to lobby small nations such as the Czech Republic for their support of the European Union Constitution. Because the constitution must be ratified by all member states, a no vote in the Czech Republic would effectively kill it, something Schroder is working hard to avoid.
Also on the agenda for Schroder was improving relations between the two countries, a step he said meant getting past the past. Noticeably absent -- perhaps in keeping with the spirit of camaraderie -- was any mention of the war in Iraq, to which the two governments have responded very differently.
Šaltinis:
praguepost.com
Copying, publishing, announcing any information from the News.lt portal without written permission of News.lt editorial office is prohibited.
The most popular articles
On 27 August at the meeting of foreign ministers of Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Norway and Iceland (NB8) in Riga, head of Lithuania’s diplomacy called on the Nordic and Baltic States for greater integration.
more »
President Dalia Grybauskaitė offered her congratulations to Mihai Ghimpu, Speaker of the Moldovan Parliament and Acting President of Moldova, on Independence Day.
more »
Minister of Foreign Affairs A. Ažubalis encouraged the ambassadors to take the initiative in searching for potential investors from the countries of their representation, and in inviting Lithuanian businesses to look for export opportunities and partners.
more »
At the annual convention of Lithuanian ambassadors, President Dalia Grybauskaitė gave an overview of this year's main foreign policy issues, discussed top priorities and defined foreign policy guidelines for the next year.
more »
On 24 August at Lithuania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Lithuania’s and Germany’s Governments will conclude an agreement on mutual representation by diplomatic and consular missions in visa application procedures.
more »
President Dalia Grybauskaitė met with Polish President Bronisław Komorowski who is currently on vacation in Lithuania.
more »
Lithuania delegates Deputy Director of Lithuania’s National Police School professor Alvydas Šakočius to the Police Advisory Group of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to Kyrgyzstan.
more »
President Dalia Grybauskaitė expressed, on behalf of the people of Lithuania and herself, condolences to President Giorgio Napolitano of the Italian Republic on the death of President Francesco Cossiga.
more »
President Dalia Grybauskaitė received letters of credence from Ambassador Igor Klipii of the Republic of Moldova.
more »
President Dalia Grybauskaitė extended condolences to President Hu Jintao over the tragic disaster in China's Gansu province - claiming more than one thousand innocent lives.
more »