Ovog tjedna u rezidenciji češkog veleposlanika Nj. E. g. Milana Hovorke, izvanrednog i opunomoćenog veleposlanika Republike Češke u Republici Hrvatskoj održano je predavanje na temu odnosa Hrvatske i Republike Češke. U nastavku donosimo tekst obraćanja Nj.E. g. Hovorke.
Poštovani gospodine predsjedniče,
Ekselencije, dame i gospodo, dobra večer svima.
Veliko hvala diplomatskom klubu na inicijativi za susret i svima vama što ste se odazvali pozivu u rezidenciju češkog veleposlanika u Zagrebu. Želio sam da ovaj poziv realiziramo u neformalnoj i prijateljskoj atmosferi koja bi odražavala duh odnosa između naših naroda. Bilo bi mi drago kada bismo mogli razgovarati na hrvatskom jeziku. Ali koliko god se trudio, još uvijek nije moguće.
Dakle, oprostite ako sada prijeđem na engleski jezik.
Dear colleagues and friends,
in my today´s speech, I would like to elaborate on why the Czechs and the Croats are longstanding natural and trusted partners whose relationship has withstood the test of time. I would also like to present to you my opinion that despite all the positive developments, achievements, mutual sympathies and complementarities, the best in relations between the Czechs and the Croats is yet to come.
Regarding the first thesis, I am happy to note that the relations between our nations are built on the foundations that I personally consider to be the strongest and most natural, on the civic principle, interpersonal relations and jontily shared fundamental values.
The common spiritual and cultural foundations of Czechs and Croats are truly countless, as evidenced by the centuries-old connections. They date back to the the times of Sts Cyril and Methodius, whose disciples spread Old Slavonic service in the region of present Croatia, Although geographically and politically divided, and are based on the common Glagolitic script and Slavic worship.
The first bishop of the Diocese of Zagreb was Bishop Duh in 1094, a Czech by origin, who brought over many clergy and laid the foundations of Zagreb’s Cathedral Chapter.
Croatian Glagolitic priests came to Prage in the middle of the 14th century. King Charles IV invited them to promote the expansion of Old Slavonic worship in the newly founded Slavonic (Emmaus) Monastery (Na Slovanech). I am not sure it’s specified where they came from, but it’s certain that the first two abbots of the Monastery, Pavel Ursinus – Nedvied and Ivan Charvat, were of Croatian origin.
Speaking of the historical connection, there was a legend in the Middle Ages according to which Czechs believed they originated from Croatia due to the origin of their forefather Čeh who was allegedly born in Krapina, while the oldest Czech Cosmas Cronicle from the twelve century speaks of the Czech Charváti whose part allegedly moved South to form Croatia.
Let me also mention that many Czech fighters contributed to the Ottoman defeats in the late 16th century and helped create favourable conditions for the arrival of Czech priests, particularly at the Zagreb Jesuit gymnasium, which was reported to be the leading educational institution of its time in Croatia. On the other hand, the Otoman threat triggered the migration of Croats as far as Moravia and brought about the specific culture and traditions of the Moravian Croats.
A new momentum gained the Czech-Croatian relations during the time of the Croatian Revival and Revolution (1848–49), under the ideals of Austro-Slavism and influence of the Czech historian and politician František Palacký, the most influential person of the Czech National Revival. Czechs call him “Father of the Nation”. It is this period that saw the arrival of Czech settlers, handworkers, intellectuals and businessmen to Croatia, thus significantly contributing to Croatian economic and social development.
Positive relations between the Czechs and Croats continued after the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, i. e. after the creation of the Republic of Czechoslovakia and the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (Yugoslavia). Even this was a period of frequent contacts from the political level due to Stjepan Radić who had studied in Prague and his wife Milena was Czech, through culture – Ivan Mestrović was a personal friend of Tomas Garrigue Masaryk – all the way to people-to-people contacts with rising number of Czech torustis on Croatian coast.
During the Cold War, these relations had been developing as relations between the countries that were initially part of the Eastern Bloc, later with all the upps and downs in relations between Moscow and Yougloslavia as leader of the non-alligned movement. The Czechs remember this period mainly the time when their families started their traditions of spending summer holidays on the Adriatic, a tradition that in many families extends to their second and soon perhaps trird generation. Our memories also contain gratitude for the Croatian support of the Prague Spring in 1968.
The recognition of Croatia by the Czech and Slovak federation on 16 January 1992 paved the way for a new chapter in the history of the Czech-Croaian relations.
This chapter began to be fully written after the dissolution of the then Czechoslovakia, the creation of the Czech Republic, the mutual recognition of the Czech Republic and Croatia and the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1993.
It is gratifying to note that the two nations´ relationship is exemplified by a large number of great personalities who lived and worked in one or another country.
For example, the first Croatian newspaper, called Ephemerides Zagrabienses, was published in 1771 by Czech Antun Jandera and marked the beginning of the Croatian journalism.
Josef Václav Frič was the editor-in-chief of Agramer Zeitung (1873–76) and the founder of the Česká beseda in Zagreb.
While walking through Prague, you will find a square named after Croatian bishop Josip Juraj Strossmayer, who is also an honorary citizen of the city. To the already mentioned Ivan Meštrović, I will add that one of his last works is a monument to honor the Czech composer Antonin Dvořák that can be seen in New York.
In one country or another, we have been able to read the works of our writers for many decades. In Prague, Croatian literature was popularized by August Šenoa who became one of the most translated Croatian authors in Czech. Works by Jaroslav Hašek, Karel Čapek and Jan Neruda were are very known in Croatia. In most recent times, the translations of literary works by Dušan Karpatský have particularly excelled.
It would take hours to talk about the architectural connections. They can be traced in so many place, including the St. Mark´s Squere, where it is believed that the portal of the church of St. Mark was built by students of famous Petr Parléř who designed the Saint Vitus Cathedral and the Charles Bridge in Prague. The Banski dvori was built in the beginning of the 19th century by the builder from Moravia, Ivan Either. The Croatian Parliament was remodeled by the Czech Lav Kalda in the beginning of the 20th century. In Prague, we all admire uniqueness of the famous Dancing House in Prague, or Fred and Ginger, designed by Croat Vlado Milunić.
We cannot forget about the contemporary artistic expressions. For example, plays of Václav Havel were performed in Zagreb while he was in prison. His one-act plays ‘Audience’ and ‘Exhibition’ were declared plays of the year in 1980. There is no one in Croatia who would not know Jiří Menzel, Academy Award winning Czech movie director and a great friend of Croatia, who made his documentaries My Dubrovnik (“Moj Dubrovnik”) and Our Sea, your sea („Naše more, vaše more”). The world-wide renowned choreographer, dramatist and director of the play Jiří Bubeníček showed his talent by fabulous ballet performances in Croatian National Theatres in Zagreb and Rijeka. Not to mention, of course, renowned Zlatko Stahuljak, Croatia’s first Ambassador to the Czech Republic and the first president of the Croatian-Czech Friendship Association, as well as a violinist and music teacher.
Referring to the university to university cooperation, I will mention that the Czech Lectorate at the Faculty of Humanities in Zagreb was launched in 1918. Since 1965, Croatian language and literature can be studied at Charles University in Prague and Masaryk University in Brno.
I believe that fans of Dinamo Zagreb present here will forgive me if I mention one important sports link, and that is the football club Hajduk Split („Freedom Fighter“), which was founded in the Prague famous brewery U Fleků in 1911 by four students from Split, who were at the university in Prague at that time.
Turning now to tourism, it is with pride and satisfaction to note, that according to local researchers, it was the Czechs who were among the first ones back in the days of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy to discover the natural and cultural wonders of the Croatian coast.
The Club of Czech Tourists, which was founded in 1888, started organizing the first trips to the Adriatic at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. Czechs were reportedly warmly welcome and people crowded to celebrate dear guests from Bohemia.
It is wonderful to see that this enthusiasm continues to this day. Czechs feel at home in Croatia. They know to be welcome here. They appreciate the hospitality present everywhere.
Czechs were also among first to return to the Adriatic after the coronavirus measures, showing confidence in Croatia’s ability to handle a complicated situation.
Nowdays, Czechia is the fifth largest tourism market for Croatia. Last year, 894 thousand Czech tourists came to their most popular tourist destination abroad and they stayed almost six million nights there.
We are proud of having two great national minorities, which represent an emotional bridge in the relations between our countries.
I´he already mentioned, that the so-called Moravian Croats settled in the in the Moravian region during the 16th century. They had been recognized as a national minority after the velvet revolution in Czechoslovakia in 1989. In the village of Jevišovka, the Croatian House can be found, which was co-financed by the Czech and Croatian Governements.
According to the last Czech census of 2021, total number of citizens who declared themselves as Croats was 2.444, out of whom 1,167 (1134) persons declared their exklusive croat nationality, while 2 444 persons declared combined nationality.
Croats in Czechia have two official associations registered: The Association of Citizens of Croatian nationality in the Czech Republic and the Czech-Croatian Society. Days of Croatian Culture – Kiritof are held in Jevišovka on the first Sunday in September every year.
As for the Czech minority in Croatia, let me repeat that the first Czechs arrived in Slavonia in the middle of the 18th centrury. The first Česká Beseda was founded in Zagreb in 1874. The first Czech school was open in 1922 in Daruvar, and first kindergarten in 1926, also in Daruvar. During the Croatian War of Independence, in September and October 1991, one thousand five hundred children were taken to the Czech Republic from the war-threatening Daruvar and its surroundings. They left their homes for four weeks and stayed for four months.
I am priviledged of meeting a number of them personally. I know that thanks to them, the Czech Republic has not one but one thousand five hundred ambassadors in Croatia.
The Czechs in Croatia are officially recognized as an autonomous national minority. The Czechs together with the Slovaks have their representative in the Croatian parliament, which today is Vladimír Bilíek.
The Czechs are organised in more than thirty Česka Beseda’s all across Croatia that form the Union of Czechs in Croatia, an organization founded in 1921 to promote Czech language and culture in Croatia.
According to the latest Croatian census from 2021, the number of citizens claiming to be a Czech national minority dropped significantly, from 9,641 in 2011 to 7,862 in 2022. After Croatian, Albanian, Austrian, Bosnian, Bulgarian and Montenegrin, it is the seventh largest nationality with a share of 0.20 percent of the total population (down from 0.22 percent in 2011).
The Croatian and Czech languages both belong to the Slavic language family allowing a small degree of mutual intelligibility. However, one must be very careful how to work with it. It’s not always that simple.
To sum-up this part of my intervention, I would simply say that the Czechs and the Croats have so much in common. They know each other very well and are constantly enriching each other. I know what I’m talking about. Not only as an ambassador, but also as a person living in this country. Whenever I talk to the people here, I can feel that warmth and affection. They often ask me. Where do you come from? I answer in my Croatian that I am from Czechia. Ah, from Czechia? So you’re ours. It is so heartwarming to hear from so many people here that they have some sort of a relationship.
Dear colleagues and friends,
The Czech-Croatian relations have thrived in all areas of life, notably in politics, economics, people-to-people contacts, culture, education, tourism and sports. We can definitively assume that they have reached their best heights.
So it may seem a little presumptuous to say that the best in mutual relations is still ahead of us. Nevertheless, I am convinced of this and I will try to explain why.
Everything is, of course, related to the historical developments that both countries have gone through.
The Czechs and the Croats have learnt what it means to fight to protect their independence, their homeland and their indentity. They know that freedom does not come by itself and that one must be prepared to demonstrate a firm commitment to defend it.
For a long time, we did not have the opportunity to realize our ambitions and potential, be fully integrated members of the Euro-Atlantic family of nations and build a common future that is free from fear of intimidation or outside intervention. We weren’t the ones who made our strategic choices.
Profound political and social changes in both countries, the transition from centrally planned economies to modern market economies and gaining recognition from the international community have changed this and put our destinies back into our own hands. The dreams of so many generations have become reality.
Today, Czechia and Croatia are proud and reliable members of the European Union and alliance partners in NATO. We share the same strategic outlook and concerns about the security of this continent and we implement the same vision of peace and security, respect for human rights and jointly built prosperity.
The achieved level of shared interests, as well as the challenges we face, create a whole range of new opportunities but also needs for mutual cooperation at the bilateral level, within the European Union and NATO, as well as in multilateral fora. We are in a situation where we can see all the pieces of the mosaic and know what to do to make fall into place. We can build on the synergies brought about by joint work in various areas, whether it is security and politics or business, energy, social issues and climate change.
In our reactions to the brutal Russian aggression in Ukraine and in the efforts to mitigate the effects of the war in Ukraine for our citizens and societies we have proved to be up to the moment and ready to use fully the potential.
Over the past twelve months, Czechia and Croatia have been working hard to support the unity of the European Union against Russian aggression.
Together, we have weakened Russia’s ability to continue the war and limited its military and economic capabilities by adopting a series of sanction packages.
Both countries have done a lot to support the Ukrainian government, army, and citizens in their fight for freedom, sovereignity, territorial integrity within its internatiolly recognized borders and a future in a democratic Europe.
We also received hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians fleeing the fury of the war. We provided them with new homes, ensured access to the health care system, the labor market and also education. We will be right by on the Ukraine side to rebuild a modern and prosperous country.
We have contributed to debates among EU Member States on a number of measures to tackle the energy crisis, phase our dependence on Russian fossil fuels and accelerate the green transition under the REPowerEU plan and Fit for 55 package.
By working together, we have conributed to restoring the credibility of the EU enlargement process and have shown our readiness to engage at all levels. We clearly said that the future of Western Balkans and their citizens lies within the European Union, as well that of Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia.
By granting Ukraine, Moldova and Bosnia and Hercegovina the status of a candidate for accession to the EU, we have made a major step on their path to the European Union.
Albania and North Macedonia could finally start negotiating their respective accession chapters. By agreeing on the Council´s mandate for negotiations with the European Parliament we have made an important step towards visa free travel for Kosovo has been made.
I drew these moments from the period when Czechia presided over the Council of the European Union to show the maturity of our relationship and how much we can be a partner and also an ally for each other. I deliberately did not present them as successes of the Czech Presidency, but as joint EU efforts in which Czechia and Croatia participated to a significant extent.
Then, there is one more big achievement, and that is Croatia’s entry into the Eurozone and the Schengen area. We Czechs are particularly pleased that our Presidency will forever be associated with the accomplishment of these two strategiec objectives of Croatia and we congratulate Croatia on fulfilling all the necessary criterias and conditions. Czechia stands ready to assist Croatia in its accession to the OECD.
I am convinced that much more can be done by Czechia and Croatia to enhance practical collaborations in areas like security, defence capacities, strategic economic resilience, fight against cybercrime and desinformation.
We can be even better partners for common energy security. Croatia has the ambition to emerge as a new energy hub in Europe. The question Czechs should ask themselves is „what does that mean for them“ and whether there is anything good for both of them and their interest to diversity energy resources and transport routes.
We can synergize more productively our respective green and digital transitions, share our best practices and create new promissing opportunities for our innovators, researchers and practitioners. We are ideally positioned to work more closely on clean and low-carbon technologies involving renewables, hydrogen, energy storage and smart power grids.
We have to redouble our efforts to make full use of the potential in the economic area. Trade and investment flows have been increasing over the last few years. In 2022, our bilateral trade has crossed a billion euro mark for the first time. Increased numbers of Czech investors are now keen to explore the opporutnities offered by the Croatian market. We would be equally happy to see increased visibility of Croation investors on the market.
More can be done jointly to promote regional prosperity which is of the Czechia and Croatia interest and help the countries of the Western Balkan to advance their path towards the European Union, implement the necessary reforms, build mutual trust and promote reconciliation.
I can see new opportunities to take education and cultural cooperation to new heights. The way to do that would be to promote bilateral university-to-university cooperation and common participation in the Europan programmes, including research and innovation. On the cultural front, we have signed recently a new programme to concretize mutual cooperation in a number of areas. Now i tis time to implement it.
Speaking of sectoral policies of the European Union, I honestly believe that given our countries size, history and common challenges, we have many similar interests which can be exploited by forming joint alliances in the Council as well supporting geographically balanced representation in the EU institutions.
Dear colleagues and friends,
Needless to say that I as the Ambassador of Czechia to Croatia and the team of the Embassy in Zagreb will do our utmost to furhter the strong bonds among the two friendly countries.
I know that in these efforts I can count very much on your support as well as support of many here in Croatia and in Czechia as well.
The number of high-level official visits and the agreements that have been signed by the two countries attest to a steady intensification of political relations. Since 2006, there have been regular exchanges between the two parliaments.
When Croatia joined the EU on 1 June 2013, the bilateral agreements between Switzerland and the EU were automatically extended to Croatia, with the exception of the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons (AFMP).
At its meeting of 1 October 2021, the Federal Council decided to extend unrestricted freedom of movement for Croatia starting 1 January 2022. This means that from this date employees from Croatia will be treated the same as other EU/EFTA citizens.
Treaty database
Economic cooperation
Although Croatia is Switzerland’s second biggest trading partner in south-eastern Europe, the volume of trade remains relatively small. Nevertheless, bilateral trade has increased since 2012, reaching CHF 610 million in 2020. However, the growth of imports from Croatia outweighed that of Swiss exports. Switzerland mainly exports pharmaceutical products and machinery, and mainly imports machinery, metal products, wood and textiles. More than 60 Swiss companies operate in Croatia.
The two countries have had ties for a number of years via a free-trade agreement between the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) and Croatia. After Croatia’s accession to the EU, most agreements were superseded by Switzerland’s bilateral agreements with the EU.
Trade promotion, Switzerland Global Enterprise
SECO Information on countries
Cooperation in education, research and innovation
Researchers and artists who are citizens of Croatia can apply to the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) for Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships.
The plan calls for:
• Radiation and nuclear safety, focusing on restoring security around Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, Zaporizhzhia in Ukraine, which is now Russian-occupied.
• Food security, including protecting and ensuring Ukraine’s grain exports to the world’s poorest nations.
• Energy security, with a focus on price restrictions on Russian energy resources, as well as aiding Ukraine with restoring its power infrastructure, half of which has been damaged by Russian attacks.
• Release of all prisoners and deportees, including war prisoners and children deported to Russia.
• Restoring Ukraine’s territorial integrity and Russia reaffirming it according to the UN Charter, which Zelenskyy said is “not up to negotiations”.
• Withdrawal of Russian troops and the cessation of hostilities, the restoration of Ukraine’s state borders with Russia.
• Justice, including the establishment of a special tribunal to prosecute Russian war crimes.
• The prevention of ecocide, and the protection of the environment, with a focus on demining and restoring water treatment facilities.
• Prevention of an escalation of conflict and building security architecture in the Euro-Atlantic space, including guarantees for Ukraine.
• Confirmation of the war’s end, including a document signed by the involved parties.
The EU will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes. Ukraine welcomed the EU’s pledged assistance in response to Russia´s war of aggression. Overall assistance to Ukraine pledged both at EU and Member states level so far amounts to nearly EUR 50 billion, which includes financial, humanitarian, emergency, budgetary as well as military support. This also includes the commitment to provide up to EUR 18 billion MFA+ package for short-term EU financial relief financing Ukraine’s immediate needs and rehabilitation of critical infrastructure for 2023. An additional EUR 10 billion was provided in support to refugees. Ukraine welcomed the first disbursement of EUR 3 billion that contributed to lessen the pressing liquidity needs early in the year.
are one of the recognised minorities of Croatia. According to the census of 2011 there were 9,641 Czechs in Croatia, comprising 0.22% of total population.[
Austria.
and through marriages, and what was missing was official diplomatic relations between the two countries, a Croatian embassy in Prague and a Czech embassy in Zagreb, which came to pass 30 years ago, he added.
Czech and Croatian are certainly more similar in terms of script, since both use Latin alphabet as opposed to Cyrilic azbuka. Interestingly enough, Croatian alphabet as we know it today was defined in 19th century and was heavily inspired by the contemporary Czech alphabet!