The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic received today with greatest regret the news about the tragic death of the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Sweden, Anna Lindh, who died of wounds sustained in a brutal attack in Stockholm yesterday. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic strongly condemns this act of violence and believes that the perpetrator will be found and brought to justice as soon as possible.

Minister Lindh was one of the biggest figures on the European political stage where she successfully presented her country's positions. From 1998, when she became Minister for Foreign Affairs, she was a strong supporter of the development of Czech - Swedish relations and a big advocate of the European Union enlargement process. She paid several visits to the Czech Republic, last time in April 2003. In her country, she was among the most popular and pro-European politicians, a leading campaigner for Sweden to join the European Monetary Union. Sweden as well as the whole of Europe have lost a big figure.