The Czech Republic is ready for refugees from Ukraine, it is not planning any further help
Updates: 02/14/2022 19:36
Released: 14.02.2022, 18:47
Prague – The Czechia is ready for various numbers of refugees who could come from Ukraine in the event of an escalation of the conflict with Russia. The next concrete step regarding the material of assistance to Ukraine is not currently planned, the Czechia is ready to respond to any requests. This was stated by Prime Minister Petr Fiala (ODS) after the meeting of the State Security Council. The state is ready to help Slovakia and send a contingent of Czech police officers on its border with Ukraine. Exporters have increased their prudence in trade with Ukraine, Czech Airlines will not interrupt flights to Kiev yet, and other companies are not planning any special steps.
Russia has amassed tens of thousands of troops at the Ukrainian border in recent months. It has raised concerns among Kiev and the West that it is preparing for a military offensive against Ukraine. Referring to three official sources from Washington and Europe, the Politico server wrote that the Russian invasion could begin on Wednesday, February 16. All allies in Europe from the United States received information about a possible start to the invasion on Wednesday, he said Diary N Square of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Head of the Working Group on the Situation in Eastern Europe Martin Dvořák (STAN).
The Czech Security Council of the Czech Republic on today’s readiness of the Czech Republic for variants of development in Ukraine, on humanitarian aid, protection of citizens or possible migration policy, he said. He reminded that at the end of January, the Czech government decided to donate 4006 artillery ammunition worth 36.6 million crowns to Ukraine. “At the moment, no further such specific step is planned, but we are ready to respond to any demands of the Ukrainian party,” the prime minister said. “We are ready for the diverse number of migrants who could come from Ukraine,” he added.
The Czech embassies in Kiev and Lviv are ready to continue operating. Family members of the embassy staff in Kiev have already left, and four consular officers have also decided to leave Ukraine. More than 20 employees will remain at the embassy, about 30 at the consulate general in Lviv, where the numbers are not reduced, Deputy Dvořák said after the meeting of the crisis staff of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. At the meeting of the crisis staff, the Ministry of the Interior informed about the readiness for a possible larger influx of refugees from Ukraine, or for the return of Czech citizens from the country.
According to Dvořák, the Czechs’ interest in the system in Ukraine has also increased Thrush, 50 people have signed up since Sunday. In total, there are about 130 people in the system used by the Czech embassies, for example, to inform tourists about emergencies. In the last eight years, 55 people from Ukraine have been granted asylum in the Czech Republic, and another 404 have been granted temporary protection. There were a total of 3806 applications, according to the Ministry of the Interior. Ukrainians are now the largest minority in the Czech Republic. According to last year’s census, it represents almost 30 percent of people from abroad, about 150,200.
In the event of an exacerbation of the situation, the Ministry of the Interior wants to focus mainly on humanitarian aid on the spot, ministry spokesman Ondřej Krátoška told ČTK. According to him, Czech police officers could help on the Slovak-Ukrainian border if Slovakia so requested, similarly to Macedonia or Hungary.
The planned trip of the mayor of Prague Zdeněk Hřiby (Pirates) to Kiev is trying, even though the Ministry of Foreign Affairs warned today and Sunday against trips to Ukraine. The mushroom is to be in the Ukrainian capital from today to Tuesday and is to meet with the mayor of Kiev Vitaly Klitschko. “The trip is agreed, confirmed by protocol, it is a foreign trip with a diplomatic passport and at the moment it is not possible to cancel the trip in any way,” said Hřib.
Former President Vaclav Klaus is addressing the situation today. In an open letter, he called on Fiala to work for negotiations in the Ukrainian conflict in order to find security guarantees for all parties to the conflict. Klaus considers the risk of an open war to be real. Although Russia pursues its own interests, which are not the same as those of the other parties to the conflict, its concerns are legitimate and should be taken seriously, the former president said.
Czech exporters have increased their caution in concluding deals and investing in Ukraine many times over, Otto Daněk, vice-chairman of the Association of Exporters, told ČTK. According to him, some companies have postponed business plans in Ukraine so far. The continuation of the crisis may bring rising prices for oil, gas and raw materials, especially iron ore or aluminum, he added. European stock markets weakening on fears of an attack on Ukraine today were followed by the Russian stock market, whose PX index lost 1.41 percent. The koruna also lost ground against the euro and the dollar.
The air traffic between the Czech Republic and Ukraine, like CSA, has not yet been interrupted by three Ukrainian airlines, which regularly fly from Prague to Ukraine. They are not doing the same as some foreign carriers who have canceled flights from European cities to Ukraine in recent days due to fears of a Russian invasion.
Czech metallurgical companies, the Zetor tractor manufacturer or the Synot group are usually not planning any special steps yet, according to a ČTK survey among companies. The companies monitor the situation and are in contact with partners in Ukraine. For example, the energy company MND has prepared a plan for a conflict to break out. “Production of Škoda cars in Ukraine is ensured through business partner Evrocar. At present, production at the Solomonovo plant is not limited. At present, we do not plan to take any major steps in connection with the situation in Ukraine,” Škoda Auto spokeswoman Simona Havlíková told ČTK.
The Trade and Tourism Association of the Czech Republic (SOCR) is not yet monitoring a larger shortage of workers from Ukraine. but probably one of them announced that in case of war they would want to return to their homeland, said SOCR President Tomáš Prouza. The Chamber of Commerce noted the concerns of business units that if the Ukrainian-Russian conflict escalated, Ukraine could issue orders to enter military service. This could cause production problems for Czech companies, said Miroslav Beneš on behalf of the chamber.
According to the state agency CzechTourism, the tense situation on the Ukrainian-Russian border primarily delays the possible arrival of tourists from Russia to the Czech Republic. At the same time, they are important visitors not only to the spa agency, said director Jan Herget.