The first meeting of EU and Indo-Pacific foreign ministers will take place in Paris next week. The French chose a unique date for the conference. Maybe they bet on symbolism. In numerology, two expresses balance, stability, cooperation, but also the duality of opposites. Many participants looking at the calendar will certainly think of the old Asian proverb that "all good things come in pairs."

In any case, this is a turning point in communication and the search for new forms of effective cooperation between the two world communities.

The European Union and its current French Presidency intend to launch their new strategy for cooperation with the region through the Paris diplomatic assembly. The debates in which I will take an active part will cover a wide range of issues, from common environmental challenges, communication, infrastructure and other links, to security issues, including cybersecurity. We really have a lot of topics for discussion and I firmly believe that its results will help to specify the directions that the next Czech Presidency of the Council of the European Union will then follow.

Indo-Pacific is one of our geographical priorities. And it's not a coincidence at all. This is a region in which we have our traditional interests. Despite the fact that the fleet of Czechoslovak shipping (a total of 14 ships) evaporated in the privatization fog of the 1990s, we remain a trading power. As a country where exports of goods and services account for 78 percent of GDP and this share is still growing, we depend on the flow of trade and the flow of transport routes. The Indo-Pacific is their key crossroads and also our major export destination. The Czech Republic, together with countries such as the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Sweden, has always been and is a strong free trade lawyer. We will therefore want to use the moment of sitting at the helm of the EU, also to to work with the European Commission to give new impetus to the negotiation of free trade agreements with partners such as Australia, Indonesia and New Zealand. We will also focus on deepening economic cooperation with India.

But there is more to be played. Indo-Pacific, in terms of the subject and object of international political reality, emerged only recently (this term was not fully used until 2018) as a response to China's unprecedented political, economic and military expansion. Concerns stemming from the ambitions of a powerful neighbor, including its efforts to revise the international legal system and change the status quo, have led states in the region to unprecedented multilevel cooperation. With the active participation of the United States, new security and defense mechanisms are emerging, such as QUAD (USA, India, Japan, Australia) or AUKUS (UK, Australia, USA). Former World War II enemies: Australia and Japan (RAA) - initiate direct military cooperation. The whole zone is characterized by a high concentration of possible military clashes. In addition to economic and military rivalry, the struggle of fundamental political ideas is crystallizing in the area more than anywhere else. Dialogue and coordinated action by the EU, the US and like-minded countries is absolutely key to promoting and protecting the values ​​of a democratic community. The interests of the Czech Republic in the Indo-Pacific are therefore much broader and absolutely essential.

I see the presidency of the Council of the EU not only as a formal obligation, repeated every thirteen years, but above all as an opportunity for the Czech Republic to show that we are an active member of the international community who wants and is able to contribute to solving major problems. This is a possibility of an extraordinary investment that will pay off for the Czech Republic in the long run. This also applies to the Indo-Pacific. I am glad that we have made intensive progress here in the preparations for the presidency. After a series of consultations with European and Indo-Pacific partners, we have an idea of ​​what and how we would like to do. I understood, from many well-meaning recommendations, that the European Union's long-term problem in the region is credibility. The states of the region do not expect mentoring, poetic words and unfulfilled promises from us. They expect action from us, which will strengthen their resilience to withstand the pressure of the international political environment. This does not mean that we should step down from enforcing our principles and principles, but complement them with concrete, meaningful activities.

That is exactly how we will design our six-month presence at the helm of the EU. We will share our experience and know-how in the field of security and defense, especially in cyberspace (crime in cyberspace, creation of new rules of conduct, security of supply chains). Together with the European Space Agency based in Prague and the European Commission, we will strive for greater use of European space applications in the Indo-Pacific. In particular, it is the Copernicus program, which makes life much easier for people suffering from the consequences of natural disasters. Last year alone, they affected more than 52 million people in the ASEAN Member States. In the program statement, we promised a review (evaluation) of relations with Beijing. At the same time, I see the Indo-Pacific as opening new doors to China. Although China is considered a "system rival" and its rocket rise gave rise to the Indo-Pacific, this concept is not primarily anti-Chinese. Neither the European Union nor the United States wants to isolate China, they are looking for ways to engage it constructively. The Czech Republic will also strive for this in the next half of the year, especially in the field of the environment (Jakarta seminar on environment protection and the circular economy).

I am pleased that our plans are already met with great interest. Immediately after the Paris conference, my Australian colleague Marise Payne will visit Prague. I believe that I will also welcome the Indian Foreign Minister to our capital in the spring and, as part of the High Representative Dialogue on the Indo-Pacific, which we are planning for June, a number of other government and academic representatives from many countries around the world. Prague is gaining prestige and is becoming attractive even to those who decide or shape opinions on what is happening in the Indo-Pacific, a region that is more important to us than it might seem at first glance.