On October 31, 2022, the Joint Meeting of the Government of Ukraine and the Government of the Czech Republic took place in Kyiv on the outcomes of which the Participants:
emphasized the significance of further strengthening ties between the Governments of Ukraine and the Czech Republic aimed at the development of cooperation between the two European countries and friendly nations on the basis of mutual respect and understanding;
discussed the current international political, economic and security situation;
condemned in the strongest possible terms Russia’s attempted annexation of the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine and reaffirmed their readiness to continue working together to stop Russia´s war of aggression against Ukraine and restore Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty within its internationally recognized borders;
reaffirmed their joint efforts to further strengthen the activities within the International Crimea Platform aimed at achieving the de-occupation of Crimea;
stressed the importance of investigating the Russia’s war crimes, of which there is growing evidence, as well as other crimes under international law, which could have been committed on the territory of Ukraine, with the aim to bring those responsible to account, in particular through the International Criminal Court;
supported the initiative to establish a Special Tribunal for crime of aggression committed against Ukraine;
called on the international community to sustain and increase sanctions´ pressure on the Russian Federation to continue severely undermining the ability of the aggressor state to continue its war against Ukraine;
stressed the importance of increasing military, financial and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine amid Russia’s war against the country;
acknowledged the support granted by the Government of the Czech Republic and the people of the Czech Republic to Ukrainian nationals who were forced to flee Ukraine due to the Russian aggression;
reaffirmed the intention to strengthen cooperation with the EU and world financial institutions in developing instruments to support Ukraine’s reconstruction and modernization to overcome the consequences of destructive actions of the Russian army on the Ukrainian territory;
confirmed their readiness to actively participate in post-war reconstruction and recovery. The Czech Republic is ready to participate in rebuilding of Ukraine, in particular of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast;
confirmed the intention to strengthen cooperation to provide support to Ukrainian nationals who were forced to flee Ukraine due to the Russian aggression particularly to young Ukrainians that they find not only a safe place abroad, but that their rights are protected and they feel themselves as a part of society in the new country, able to work, continue their education and contribute to the development of those communities where they have found temporary shelter;
confirmed their readiness to support cooperation between youth centers, youth workers and young people of both countries to help young Ukrainians to mitigate consequences of war;
coordinated further steps of cooperation between the Governments of Ukraine and the Czech Republic on the international agenda, in particular within international organizations along with regional formats and initiatives;
noted the importance of continuing the joint efforts with the EU and NATO Member States in order to counter the threats and challenges to the European security;
welcomed the first meeting of the European Political Community, hosted by the Czech Republic on October 6, 2022 in Prague. The Parties highlighted the importance of this initiative to foster political dialogue and cooperation to address issues of common interest, in particular strengthen the security, stability and prosperity of the European continent;
The Government of Ukraine greatly appreciated the Czech Republic’s efforts to ensure Ukraine remained among the main priorities of the EU agenda during the Czech Presidency of the EU Council and beyond;
The Government of Ukraine welcomed the Czech Republic’s Program of humanitarian, stabilization, reconstruction and economic assistance to Ukraine in 2023-2025 amounting to almost 20 million USD annually and aimed at recovery from war damages, assistance to the internally displaced persons, demining of territories and reconstruction of critical infrastructure.
The Government of the Czech Republic reaffirmed its unwavering support for Ukraine on its path to the European Union and NATO accession as a free democratic choice of the Ukrainian people. The Czech Republic stands behind the historic decision of the European Council on granting Ukraine the candidate status for the European Union membership;
The Government of the Czech Republic reinforced its commitment to support Ukraine in its integration into the EU Internal Market with its four freedoms and further deepening its sectoral integration (e.g. with the European Digital Single Market, European Energy markets, EU Customs Union and further alignment with the European Green Deal);
The Government of Ukraine appreciated the effective practice of involving Ukraine in the EU ministers informal meetings launched during the Czech Republic's Presidency of the EU Council;
The Government of the Czech Republic welcomed the progress achieved by Ukraine in the implementation of the seven recommendations envisaged in the European Commission's Opinion on Ukraine's application for membership of the European Union and supported the start of the accession negotiations once the European Commission adopts the positive assessment in this regard;
The Government of the Czech Republic reaffirmed its willingness to support work on the EU’s regular and structured budget support to Ukraine for the course of 2023 to brace Ukraine's macroeconomic stability and overall resilience in the context of Russia's military aggression and the ensuing economic challenges of Ukraine;
The Government of the Czech Republic also reaffirmed its further involvement in the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the damage caused by Russian full-scale aggression against Ukraine, including through the forthcoming Rebuild Ukraine Platform;
expressed its clear willingness to continue supplying Ukraine with military equipment and to upgrade the mutual defense industrial cooperation to the strategic level;
The Government of Ukraine confirmed its readiness to support Czech businesses in establishing offices and manufacturing facilities in Ukraine;
The Participants agreed to set up priorities of the bilateral cooperation, in particular in good governance and education, trade and economic cooperation, energy and green transition, military and civil security, healthcare, social issues, cyber and digital, and other areas, including through the implementation of joint bilateral and multilateral projects;
welcomed the establishment of the Ukrainian-Czech Chamber of Commerce (UKRCHAM) and agreed to organize trade missions exchange, business forums and exhibitions beneficial to both countries;
discussed issues on assisting Ukrainian producers in entering foreign markets and ways of supporting Ukrainian exporters by the Czech Government;
declared that cooperation and coordination of actions in the energy sector of all involved parties is important for the security of both countries and Europe as a whole;
noted the need to cooperate on mitigating risks to regional and global food security, also by facilitating agricultural exports at EU level through EU-Ukraine Solidarity Lanes;
discussed challenges and prospects for the future in the agro-industrial complex;
noted the need to intensify cooperation in the fields of cybersecurity, digitalization, countering misinformation and various types of hybrid threats;
agreed to hold the 10th session of the Ukrainian-Czech Joint Commission on Economic, Industrial, Scientific and Technical Cooperation (date is to be agreed).
Prime Minister of Ukraine
DENYS SHMYHAL |
Prime Minister of the Czech Republic
PETR FIALA |