In Berlin, at a meeting with Federal Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, the main point of discussion on bilateral relations was the update of the work plan of the Czech-German Strategic Dialogue until 2022. Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, the strategic dialogue has been successfully running for six years now, making it a key part of the Czech Republic's bilateral relations with Germany.

"The world is changing and we agreed that it is important to respond to new challenges with our partners in a coordinated and long-term manner," Minister Kulhánek said. The key to the Strategic Dialogue is not only the coordination of foreign policy issues between the foreign ministries, but also the sharing of expertise on current issues of healthcare, climate, science or security. Today, the Czech and German ministries work closely together in a total of 11 working groups within the Strategic Dialogue. In addition, other interesting areas of synergy are emerging, such as development cooperation. Next year, an important part of the Strategic Dialogue across all working groups will be the preparation for the Czech Presidency of the Council of the EU in 2022.

The ministers also agreed on the need for a quick return to normal cross-border travel between the Czech Republic and Germany. Both praised the active coordination of cross-border measures during the Covid-19 pandemic, both centrally and regionally. "The pandemic has shown the quality and reliability of our relationship," Minister Kulhánek said. "I appreciate the openness on both sides and the high level of mutual trust with both Berlin and the neighbouring federal states." Neither country intends to underestimate future pandemic-related risks and are ready to continue to consult with each other on their actions.

Another topic of the talks was the Western Balkans and EU enlargement. The current situation in the Middle East and the EU's relations with Russia were also important points. Both ministers condemned the incident involving the forced landing of a Ryanair flight in Belarus.

"Such acts must not be condoned," Minister Kulhánek added. "We know from our common history that dictators must not be allowed to feel that they can do such things with impunity."

In Berlin, Minister Kulhánek discussed further cooperation in the Czech-German Strategic Dialogue