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President Zeman appoints Jakub Kulhánek Foreign Minister

Jakub Kulhánek became the new Minister of Foreign Affairs on 21 April 2021. He was appointed by President Miloš Zeman at Prague Castle. He thus replaces Deputy Prime Minister Jan Hamáček, who was entrusted with overseeing the ministry after the dismissal of Tomáš Petříček.

Until now, Kulhánek was a Deputy Member of the Government at the Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic. The new minister was welcomed into office by Prime Minister Andrej Babiš. "The minister has been appointed in a very difficult time," the Prime Minister said. "He will immediately address matters of national interest. I am looking forward to further cooperation in communication with our partners, and we are also preparing for the Czech Presidency of the Council of the EU."

The priorities of the new Minister of Foreign Affairs will be the continuing pro-Western direction of Czech diplomacy, cooperation at the EU and NATO levels, economic diplomacy and development cooperation. He will also focus intensively on the current situation in Czech-Russian relations.

"Now is not an easy time for Czech diplomacy," Kulhánek said at a press conference after his inauguration. "I approach the role of Foreign Minister with great humility and a sense of responsibility. I know I can rely on experienced diplomats, many of whom I know personally. I want to maintain the continuity of our foreign policy and for Czech diplomacy to speak with one voice. I also want to address issues related to Covid and travel."

The Minister will communicate on social networks via the Twitter account @JakubKulhanek.