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Czechia - India Bilateral Relations

The relationship between the two nations, Czechia and India has been strengthening every year, enabling growth and giving dimensions for the development of both the countries. Since 1999 to the current year ie, 2020, both the countries have openly shown gratitude to each other.

2019-20

India- Czech Republic witnessed the exchange of high-level visits during the year - Czech Prime Minister, Hon'ble Andrej Babis visit to India for Vibrant Gujarat Summit in 2019; and Czech Defense Minister, Mr. Lubomir Metnar in February 2019 - and 20 business missions. Following the up-gradation of relations with these exchanges, India received full support and understanding of the Czech Republic on all issues of critical importance. Meeting between EAM and Czech Foreign Minister on the sidelines of UNGA in September 2019 helped reinforce the strategic aspects of the relationship. Czech Republic supported India's bid for the non-permanent membership of UNSC for 2021-22, reiterated support for UN Reforms and for India's credentials as a permanent member of UNSC. During the year, economic relations remained stable with bilateral trade remaining at par with the previous year. People to people contacts witnessed a surge in tourist flows and an increase in the number of Indians in the country. Under the bilateral dialogue mechanisms, the 6th meeting of the Joint Working Group on Heavy Engineering was held in Brno, the Czech Republic on 8 October 2019. Regular exchange of our economic relationship provided an exchange of ideas, interactions and exploration of future areas of cooperation . The Foreign Minister of Czech Republic, Tomas Petricek visited India from 13-15 Jan 2020 along with an official and business delegation to participate in the Raisina Dialogue 2020; On the sidelines of the Dialogue, he held a bilateral meeting with EAM. He also with Hon'ble Defense Minister, Minister of Commerce & Industries / Railways and Minister of Civil Aviation during the visit. In the defense sector, visit of Czech Deputy Minister for the Defexpo at Lucknow in February 2020 will enable close interactions between the Defense Industry on both sides and sustain the growth in our defense relations.

 

2018-19

President Shri Ram Nath Kovind paid a state visit to the Czech Republic from 6-9 September 2018 and met President Mr. Miloš Zeman. He also met Prime Minister Mr. Andrej Babiš, Speaker Radko Vondráček and addressed the Czech-Indian Business Forum. 8 Agreements / MOUs were signed during the visit - Visa Waiver for Diplomatic Passport holders; MoU on S&T cooperation between Czech Academy of Sciences and CSIR; Work Plan on joint S&T projects between DST and M / o Youth, Education and Sports; Agreement on Laser research between the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research and ELI Beamlines; MoU between Hissar Agricultural University and Czech University of Life Sciences; MoU between Bharat Earth Movers Ltd. (BEML) and TATRA Trucks as; MoU between PHDCCI and Association of Small and medium-sized Enterprises and Crafts CZ and MoU between Faculty of Business Administration, University of Economics Prague and IIM, Bangalore. Shri CR Chaudhary, Minister of State for Commerce & Industry and Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution led a four-member delegation for the 11th Session of India-Czech Republic Joint Commission on Economic Cooperation (JCEC) held in Prague from 22-23 October 2018. A joint Protocol was signed with Ms. Marta Novakova, Trade & Industry Minister. An MOU between Investment Promotion Agencies on both sides viz. Invest India and CzechInvest was also signed. The 5th JWG on Heavy Industry was held in New Delhi on 8 March 2018 on the sidelines of the India International Sourcing Fair (IESS) 2018 at Chennai. The meeting was co-chaired by N Sivanand, Joint Secretary MoHI & PE, and Richard Hlavaty, Senior Director General, Ministry of Industry and Trade on the Czech side. Volkswagen Group announced an investment of one billion euros into the new project INDIA 2.0, which will be supervised by Skoda Auto company, to develop new models specifically for the Indian market from the plant in Pune. The 4th round of Consular Consultations between India and the Czech Republic was held in Prague on 22 April 2018. A 35-member delegation led by Mr. Tomas Huner, Minister of Industry and Trade visited India from 4-10 March 2018, along with 13 companies to attend the India-EU 29 Business Forum in Delhi and India Engineering Source Show in Chennai where the Czech Republic was the partner country. Mr Richard Hlvaty, Senior Director General, Ministry of Trade and Industry led an industrial delegation to India from 25 November - 1 December 2018 for the launch of the Czech Industrial Clusters (CIC) in Bengaluru. The Czech Government has launched a special project called 'Special Procedures for Highly Qualified Employees' in India wef 1 October 2018, where applications for an employment permit from highly skilled workers from India will be accepted preferentially with an annual quota of 500 such applications to start with. The Czech Republic opened two new Honorary Consulates in India in Bengaluru and Chennai (in addition to its Embassy in Delhi and the two honorary consulates in Mumbai and Kolkata). The Czech Government has launched a special project called 'Special Procedures for Highly Qualified Employees' in India wef 1 October 2018, where applications for an employment permit from highly skilled workers from India will be accepted preferentially with an annual quota of 500 such applications to start with. The Czech Republic opened two new Honorary Consulates in India in Bengaluru and Chennai (in addition to its Embassy in Delhi and the two honorary consulates in Mumbai and Kolkata). The Czech Government has launched a special project called 'Special Procedures for Highly Qualified Employees' in India wef 1 October 2018, where applications for an employment permit from highly skilled workers from India will be accepted preferentially with an annual quota of 500 such applications to start with. The Czech Republic opened two new Honorary Consulates in India in Bengaluru and Chennai (in addition to its Embassy in Delhi and the two honorary consulates in Mumbai and Kolkata). The Czech Government has launched a special project called 'Special Procedures for Highly Qualified Employees' in India wef 1 October 2018, where applications for an employment permit from highly skilled workers from India will be accepted preferentially with an annual quota of 500 such applications to start with. The Czech Republic opened two new Honorary Consulates in India in Bengaluru and Chennai (in addition to its Embassy in Delhi and the two honorary consulates in Mumbai and Kolkata). The Czech Government has launched a special project called 'Special Procedures for Highly Qualified Employees' in India wef 1 October 2018,

2017-18

India was the partner country at the International Engineering Fair held from 9-13 October 2017 in Brno, inaugurated by MoS for commerce & industry, Shri C.R Chaudhary, along with the CM of Jharkhand Shri Raghubar Das. MoS Shri CR Chaudhary also met president Mr. Milos Zeman, Senate President Mr. Milan Stech and Trade & Industry Minister Jiri Havilicek. A delegation led by Mr. Radek Vondracek, Deputy Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies (Lower House) visited India from 29 May-3 June 2017. A delegation led by Mr. Daniel Herman, Minister of Culture visited India on 11 September 2017 and met Minister of Culture, Shri Mahesh Sharma. The Czech Chief of Defence Forces General Josef Becvar led a delegation to India from 16-19 October 2017.

2016-17

Shri Suresh Prabhu, Minister of Railways, visited the Czech Republic from 20-23 October 2016 and held bilateral meetings with Mr. Jan Mladek, Minister of Industry and Trade of Czech Republic, and Mr. Ladislav Nemec, Deputy Minister of Transport of Czech Republic. He also met Mr. Pavel Krtek, Director General of Czech Railways. Chief of the Army Staff of India Gen. Dalbir Singh paid an official visit to the Czech Republic from 12-15 September 2016. He met the Deputy Minister and Head of Defence Policy and Strategy Division, Mr Jakub Landovsky, and the Czech Minister of Industry and Trade, Mr Jan Mladek. The 4th meeting of the India-Czech Joint Working Group on Heavy Engineering took place in Brno on 3 October 2016. The meeting was co-chaired by Vice Minister of Industry and Trade, Mr. Eduard Muricky on the Czech side while Secretary, Heavy Industry, Mr. Girish Shankar led the Indian delegation. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the International Engineering Fair in Brno. EEPC put up an Indian Pavilion which was inaugurated by Minister of Industry and Trade, Mr. Jan Mladek. A B2B Round Table bringing together Indian and Czech engineering companies was also organized. The second round of Consular Consultations between India and the Czech Republic was held on 13 January 2016 in New Delhi. Mr. Ivo Smarek, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for Security and Multilateral Affairs visited India on 30 June 2016 and held bilateral security and multilateral consultations with Secretary (West). A Czech parliamentary delegation led by Mr Karel Schwarzenberg, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs of Committee of the Czech Parliament, visited India from 24-30 April 2016. Mr Lubomir Zaoralek, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic led by an 8-member official delegation visited Delhi from 18-20 December 2016 and held bilateral talks with Shri M. J. Akbar, MoS for External Affairs. The delegation was joined by Ambassador of Poland and Deputy Chief of Mission of Poland based in Delhi. Minister Zaoralek, accompanied by a high-level business delegation representing various trade, industrial and financial sectors also met MoS (Independent Charge) for Commerce and Industry Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman and MoS for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises Shri Babul Supriyo.

2015-16

The 10th Session of the Joint Commission on Economic Cooperation held in New Delhi on 27-28 January 2015, was jointly chaired by Hon’ble Minister of Commerce and Industry, Ms. Nirmala Sitharaman and Czech Minister for Industry and Trade, Mr. Jan Mladek. A Protocol was signed at the end of the session to promote trade, investment and tourism between the two countries. Defence Minister Mr. Martin Stropnicky visited New Delhi and Bengaluru in February 2015 in connection with the AERO India show. Czech President Milos Zeman met Hon’ble President in Moscow in May 2015 on the margins of Victory Day celebrations. A delegation of Members of Committee on Economic Affairs of the Czech Parliament led by Vice Chairman of the Chamber of Deputies (Lower house), Dr. Vojtech Filip visited India from 19-24 March 2015. Besides other meetings, the delegation also met with the Parliamentary Committee on Finance led by Dr. Veerappa Moily. A delegation comprising members of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Security of the Senate of the Czech Parliament visited India from 26-30 April 2015. The delegation called on Hon’ble Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Shri Venkaiah Naidu. 3rd JWG on Heavy Engineering took place in Mumbai on 24 November 2015. The JWG was followed by a workshop on high technology manufacturing. Protocol between the Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises of India and the Ministry of Trade and Industry of the Czech Republic on Cooperation in the Field of Heavy Industry was signed in Mumbai on 24 November 2015. The 2nd Round of India-Czech Consular Consultations was held in Delhi on 13 January 2016 to discuss various visa-related issues.

 

 

2014-15

Relations continued to strengthen this year. People to people contact witnessed a considerable surge in tourist flow from both sides, particularly after shooting of a Bollywood film (Bang Bang) in Prague in July 2014. Economic and trade relations remained on the path of consistent growth with frequent exchange of delegations from business and industry. Following are some important events of this year: A 17 member delegation led by Shri G.C Murmu, Principal Private Secretary to Gujarat Chief Minister, visited Prague from 07-09 September 2014 for the Vibrant Gujarat roadshow. The roadshow was attended by over 60 Czech companies and also had a B2B in the end. A seven-member delegation led by Shri Sharad Jaipuria, President, PHD (Punjab, Haryana, Delhi) Chamber of Commerce & Industry, visited Prague from 08-10 September 2014 for business discussions. The delegation discussed possibilities of further cooperation with the Czech Chamber of Commerce and with the representatives of the Ministry of Industry and Trade. A 21-member delegation from the Dept. of Heavy Engineering led by Shri R.K Singh, Joint Secretary, visited Prague from 22-25 September 2014 for the meeting of Joint Working Group on Heavy Engineering. The delegation included representatives from public sector organizations HEC, HMT machine tools, Neyveli Lignite and Singareni Collieries. The delegation met with Mr Jiri Havlicek, first deputy Minister of Industry and Trade on 24 September 2014 and signed the India-Czech JWG Protocol. The Czech side arranged visits to coal mines of Czech Coal Group, Vitkovitce, Ferrit, Skoda transportation, Skoda Machine tools and Czech Precision forge. The visit also paved the way for bilateral cooperation in the mining sector. The Czech Republic has been one of the important countries for India in the defence sector. A delegation of 14 officers from College of Air Warfare, Secunderabad visited Czech Republic Annual Report 2014-15 84 as part of the “Instructional Tour Abroad” from 03-07 November 2014. The delegation was led by Air Vice-Marshal D.P. Upot. A group of 14 officers also joined a Short-term Cryptography Course on ICT Security at Masaryk University in Brno. The course started on 08 September 2014 and is scheduled until 15 February 2015. High representatives of Czech Universities visited India in October and November 2014. The purpose of the visit was to deepen cooperation in the field of Higher Education.

2013-14

Mr. Martin Kuba, Minister of Trade and Industry visited India to attend India Engineering Sourcing Show-2013 in Mumbai on 11-15 March 2013. He was accompanied by an official and business delegation and had meetings with Minister of Commerce, Industry and Textiles Shri Anand Sharma, and Minister of Coal Shri Shriprakash Jaiswal, among others. Dr. Jaroslav Vacek, Director, Institute of South and Central Asian Studies in Charles University, Prague received the ‘Presidential Award for Classical Tamil' for the year 2009-2010 from the President of India on 9 October 2013 at Rashtrapati Bhavan. The 6th round of Foreign Office Consultations was held in Prague on 2 May 2013. Mr Jan Kohout, Foreign Minister of the Czech Republic visited India from 6-11 November 2013, to attend the ASEM FMM 11 held in New Delhi from 10-12 November 2013. He met with External Affairs Minister Shri Salman Khurshid, Minister for Heavy Industries Shri Praful Patel and Minister of Industry and Commerce Shri Anand Sharma, Minister of Culture Smt. Chandresh Kumari Katoch, and Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Shri Manish Tiwari. He also met with important dignitaries of the Association of Indian Movie Producers with a view to strengthening of cooperation between India and the Czech Republic in the sector of the film industry. A Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) delegation visited the Czech Republic from 9-13 September 2013 for finalizing and signing of an agreement on Cryptography course at Masaryk University. 13 officers from DRDO, including one officer from Indian Navy, attended the course on 'Short Term Intensive Course in Information and Communication Technology (ICT)' from 22 September to 20 December 2013 at Masaryk University. The course was conducted based on the cooperation agreement between DRDO and Masaryk University. Secretary (Textiles), Ms. Zohra Chatterji visited the Czech Republic from 16-21 September 2013 and had meetings at the Technical University of Liberec for cooperation in the field of textiles, technical textiles and jute. A delegation consisting of 24 officers from the College of Defence Management visited the Czech Republic from 27 October to 2 November 2013 as a part of International Strategic Management Tour. The Czech Republic was made the Focus country in the IndiaCentral Europe Business Forum (ICEBF) which was organized by the M.E.A. in collaboration with FICCI from 27-28 March 2014.

2012-13

Czech Defence Minister Dr Alexandr Vondra paid an official visit to India to attend the 7th International Defence Exhibition on Land and Naval System (DEFEXPO India 2012) on 29-30 March 2012 along with a 46-member business delegation. The Czech Defence Minister called on Raksha Mantri Shri A. K. Antony, Minister of State in the Ministry of External Affairs Smt Preneet Kaur, National Security Adviser Shri Shivshankar Menon, and Scientific Adviser to Raksha Mantri Dr Vijay Kumar Saraswat. The meetings centered around bilateral issues on defence matters. A Programme for Scientific and Technological Cooperation between Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the Czech Ministry of Education, Youth & Sport and a Work Plan for support of India-Czech joint projects for the years 2013-2015 were signed during the visit to Prague in April 2012. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between Bhaba Atomic Research Centre, India and Ústav Jaderného Výzkumu e a.s., the Czech Republic in the field of nuclear science and technology in August 2012. Minister of Commerce, Industry and Textiles Shri Anand Sharma (CITM) led a high-level business delegation to the Czech Republic from 9-11 September 2012 to the Brno International Engineering Fair at which India was the Partner country. CITM and his Czech counterpart participated in the 9th Session of the India Czech Joint Commission Meeting (JCM). Both Ministers agreed to launch Joint Working Groups (JWGs) in the areas of Skills and Innovation, Heavy Engineering, and Mining. The Protocol of the JCM was signed during the visit together with an MoU between the EXIM Bank of India and Česká Exportní Banka (CEB). Minister of State in the Ministry of External Affairs Smt Preneet Kaur visited the Czech Republic from 31 October to 3 November 2012. Bilateral issues were discussed during the meetings with Prime Minister Petr Necas; Deputy Prime Minister & Minister of Foreign Affairs Karel Schwarzenberg; and Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Parliament Ms Miroslava Nemcová. Discussions with First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Jiri Schneider centered on bilateral, regional and multilateral issues.

2011-12

The year witnessed the further strengthening of relations between India and the Czech Republic. Mr Milan Stech, the President of the Czech Senate, visited India from 8-13 May 2011, at the invitation of the Vice-President of India. He called on the Prime Minister, the Vice-President, and held meetings with the External Affairs Minister, the Speaker of the Lok Sabha and the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha. Foreign Office consultations between the Czech Republic and India were held, in New Delhi, on 6 June 2011, and were co-Chaired by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Tomas Dub, and Secretary (West). These were the first consultations after the new Government came to power in the Czech Republic. During the meeting, the two sides discussed different aspects of bilateral relations as well as major regional and international issues of mutual interest and agreed to further reinforce and diversify cooperation bilaterally as well as multilaterally. Mr Martin Kocourek, the Industry and Trade Minister of the Czech Republic, led a 50-member business delegation to India from 9-11 October 2011. Mr Milan Urban, Chairperson of the Committee on Economic Affairs of the Czech Parliament, was a member of the delegation, which met the Commerce and Industry Minister. During discussions at this meeting, a target for an annual trade turnover of US$ 2 billion was set for 2012. The Minister for Coal, Shri Sriprakash Jaiswal, accompanied by Special Secretary (Coal), Chairman of Coal India Ltd and Chairman of Neyveli Lignite Corporation visited the Czech Republic from 13-16 June 2011. An important development during the year was the revalidation of the 1966 Agreement between India and erstwhile Czechoslovakia on cooperation on the use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. Deepening of cooperation in this key sector was explored during the visit of the Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, the Secretary, Department of Atomic Energy, and the Chairman of the National Power Cooperation of India Limited as also some scientists from BARC to the Czech Republic in June 2011. Also in June 2011, Heavy Engineering Corporation Ltd. (HEC), Ranchi, signed an MoU with Vitkovice, one of the largest and most diversified industrial groups in the Czech Republic. The Indian Ambassador in Prague signed an MoU on behalf of the ICCR in June 2011 for the establishment of a Chair for teaching Hindi in the Charles University, Prague. A number of cultural exchanges during the year strengthened the people-to-people links.

2010-11

The year saw the strengthening of bilateral relations between India and the Czech Republic with the Vice President’s visit to the Czech Republic from 6-9 June 2010. He called on the Czech President Mr. Vaclav Klaus and also met Prime Minister Mr. Jan Fischer and President of Senate, Mr. Premsyl Sobotka. Three important agreements were signed during the visit: (i) Social Security Agreement, (ii) Protocol on Amendments to the BIPPA Agreement, and (iii) Agreement on Economic Cooperation. A bilateral Programme of Cooperation for years 2010-2012 between the Ministries of Culture of the two countries was initialled during the visit of Secretary (Culture) to Prague in September 2010. Czech Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Mr. Milan Hovorka, visited India in May 2010 to attend an International Telecommunications Union Meeting and again in December 2010, to co-chair the eight Joint Economic Commission. On both occasions, the Czech Deputy Minister had meetings with various Indian Ministers.

2009-10

Shri S. M. Krishna, External Affairs Minister, visited Prague from 28-30 June 2009, to attend India-EU Ministerial troika. During the visit, EAM had bilateral meetings with Czech President Mr. Vaclav Klaus, Prime Minister Mr. Jan Fischer and Deputy Prime Minister & Foreign Minister, Mr. Jan Kohout. Shri R. P. Agrawal, Secretary (Higher Education), led a delegation comprising of Chairman (University Grants Commission), and Director (IIT-Mumbai), from 26-28 April 2009. A Joint Declaration on cooperation in the field of Education was jointly signed and both sides agreed on establishing a Joint Working Group on Education. As a follow up of the visit, a Czech delegation led by Deputy Minister for Research and Higher Education visited India from 7-11 December 2009 for the first meeting of Joint Working Group on Education. Shri Rajiv Kumar, Scientist, Department of Science and Technology visited the Czech Republic from 21-22 May 2009 to discuss a programme of cooperation in the field of science and technology. Prof. S. K. Brahmachari, Director General, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), led a five-member delegation to the Czech Republic on the invitation of President of the Czech Academy of Sciences from 17-18 September 2009 to explore the possibility of cooperation in the areas of mutual interest. Shri Madhavan Nair, Chairman, Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), visited the Czech Republic from 21-24 October 2009 to take part in the Space Exploration Conference. Meetings were organized with Czech institutes and companies in the Space sector. The third meeting of Indo-Czech Joint Defence Committee was held in Prague on 2 April 2009. During the meeting cooperation in the defence, the field was reviewed and prospects for future cooperation were discussed. A three-member delegation from Army Headquarters visited the Czech Republic from 5-7 May 2009 to attend Defence Exposition in Brno. A Czech delegation led by Mr. Vlastimil Ruzicka, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport visited India from 7-11 December 2009. During the visit first meeting of Joint Working Group on Education took place in Delhi. The Czech delegation visited educational institutions in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore. A delegation from Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) led by Dr. Prahalada, Chief Controller visited the Czech Republic from 13-17 December 2009. During the visit, the delegation had the meeting with Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Mr. Erik Geuss. They also had discussions at Czech Technical University, Brno Technical University, Institute of Physics and with Czech companies. Shri Dinesh Rai, Secretary, Ministry of Micro, Medium and Small Enterprises (MSME) visited the Czech Republic from 11-13 January, 2010 Secretary, MSME was accompanied by a delegation from CII. He had discussions with Czech Deputy Minister for Industry and Trade Mr. Milan Hovorka. He also had discussions with the Czech Chamber of Commerce Czech Technical University and Czech Invest.

2008-09

Secretary (ER) visited Prague as a Special Envoy of PM in July 2008 and sought the support of the Czech Republic for India’s Civil Nuclear Energy Initiative. The Czech Republic had supported and voted for India at the NSG meeting held in September 2008. During the period, there have been regular high-level visits from both sides. From the Indian side, the visits included that of MoS (AS) Shri Anand Sharma from 7-9 September 2008 and Commerce and Industry Minister, Shri Kamal Nath from 10-12 September 2008. From the Czech side, Industry and Trade Minister Martin Riman visited India in November 2008, while the Chief of General Staff of Czech Armed Forces Lt. Gen. Vlastimil Picek’s visit to India took place in April 2008. Trade and Economic Relations with the Czech Republic have been expanding rapidly and bilateral trade is expected to cross the $ 1 billion mark in 2008. Negotiations on the Social Security Agreement between India and the Czech Republic have been completed and the signing of the Agreement is likely to take place in 2009.

2007-08

The Vice Chief of Army Staff (VCOAS) paid a visit to the Czech Republic from 10-13 July 2007. The visit was to explore the new areas of cooperation in the defence relationship. Foreign Minister of the Czech Republic, Karel Schwarzenberg visited India from 18-21 November 2007. During the visit, a Memorandum of Cooperation between the Foreign Service Institute and the Czech Diplomatic Academy was signed during the visit. Czech Republic Senate President, Premysl Sobotka paid an official visit to India from 2-6 December 2007. During the visit, he met Vice President of India, Lok Sabha Speaker, and Minister of Commerce and Industry. He also visited Hyderabad where he met Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. He was accompanied by a large business delegation and, parliamentarians. The visit focused on economic, trade and investment issues.

2006-07

Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek was elected leader of the Social Democratic Party on 13 May 2006 in an internal party election, with 90 percent of party members voting for him. The general elections were held in the Czech Republic in June 2006. As no party had emerged victorious to form the government, President Vaclav Klaus met with the leaders of political parties and held talks in an effort to end the political stalemate. President Vaclav Klaus appointed the Civic Democratic Party leader, Mirek Topolanek, as the next Prime Minister-designate. The newly appointed Prime Minister of the Czech Republic Mirek Topolanek and his new Cabinet were sworn in by President Klaus on 4 September 2006. The Civic Democratic Government led by Prime Minister Mirek Toplanek (ODS), appointed by President Klaus on 4 September 2006, failed to win the vote of confidence in the Parliament on 3 October 2006. In the 200-member Lower House, 99 members voted against the government and 96 in favour. President Klaus has said that he would appoint a new Prime Minister only after the Senate and local elections in end-October 2006. President Vaclav Klaus re-appointed the leader of the Civic Democratic Party, Mirek Topolanek as the Prime Minister on 8 November 2006, thus giving the Civic Democratic leadership a second chance to form a government. The leader of the Social Democratic Party, the former PM Jiri Paroubek, said his party is willing to hold constructive talks but has given no indication of how a resolution of the stalemate could be achieved. Thus, the Czech Republic continues to have a caretaker government for the sixth month since the general elections.

2005-06

President Vaclav Klaus paid a state visit to India from 6-12 November 2005. Apart from Delhi, The Czech President also visited Kolkata, Bangalore, Goa and Aurangabad. The visit served to further cement friendly relations and growing trade and investment ties. President Vaclav Klaus articulated Czech supports for India’s candidature for permanent membership of UNSC. The new Czech Republic Prime Minister Mr. Jiri Paroubek, who succeeded Mr. Stanislav Gross in April 2005 visited India from 17-19 January 2006 and met with President, Prime Minister, Minister of Defence and Minister of Heavy Industries. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport, Mr. Milan Simonovsky visited India from 8-12 February 2005. Skoda Auto and the Czech Republic which entered the Indian market in Aurangabad in 2000 has the plan to assemble a new model “Skoda Fabia Sedan” cars in it's plant in Aurangabad in 2007. It also plans to expand it's market to cover South and Southeast Asia.

2004-05

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Transport, Mr. Milan Simonovsky visited India during 8-12 February 2005 and attended the IETF-2005, New Delhi. Mr. Simonovsky also met the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission and the Minister of Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises. The Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests Shri Namo Narain Meena visited Prague on 25-27 November 2004 to attend a multilateral meeting on follow up of the Montreal Protocol. The Sixth session of India-Czech Republic Joint Committee was held in New Delhi on 16-17 December 2004. It was co-chaired by Czech Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Mr. Miroslav Somol, and on the Indian side by Shri S.N. Menon, Commerce Secretary. A number of cultural events including the unveiling of a bust of Gurudev Rabindra Nath Tagore and a Festival of Indian Films were held in Prague during 2004.

2003-04

Defence Minister Shri George Fernandes visited the Czech Republic from 19-22 October 2003. During the visit, the Agreement on Defence Cooperation was signed. Minister of State for External Affairs, Shri Digvijay Singh visited the Czech Republic from 22-25 September 2003. During the visit, he had a meeting with the Foreign Minister, Mr. Cyril Svoboda, Deputy Defence Minister, Mr. Jan Vana, Deputy Finance Minister, Mr. Bohuslav Sobotka, Deputy Foreign Minister, Mr. Petr Kolar, Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr. Martin Pecina and Chairman of the Foreign Relations, Defence and Security Committee of the Senate, Mr. Josef Jarab. A Czech parliamentary delegation led by Senator Josef Jarab visited India from 15-21 November 2003. Former President Vaclav Havel visited India on 5 January 2004 to receive the Gandhi Peace Prize, 2003.

2001-02

­On 24 May 2001, Notes Verbales were exchanged in New Delhi between India and the Czech Republic formally revalidating six agreements and terminating three other agreements. The six agreements which have been validated with the exchange of notes verbale on 24 May 2001 include: “ Treaty between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the Czechoslovak Republic concerning Mutual Extradition of Fugitive Criminals. (London, 11 November 1924) and protocol to this treaty (4 June 1926) extended for the territory of India on 11 July 1927: Agreement to Cooperation in the Field of Exploitation of Atomic Energy for Peaceful Purposes. (New Delhi, 9 November 1966) Agreement on Scientific, Technical and Industrial Cooperation (Prague, 30 May 1973): Third Agreement on Economic Cooperation (New Delhi, 4 December 1974); Agreement on Cooperation in Shipping. (New Delhi, 3 November 1978); and treaty between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the Czechoslovak Republic concerning Mutual Extradition of Fugitive Criminals. (London, 11 November 1924) and Protocol to this Treaty (4 June 1926) extended for the territory of India on 11 July 1927. Minister of State for External Affairs Shri Omar Abdullah is expected to visit the Czech Republic on 19&20 February 2002.