Compensation for weapons from the Czech Republic works, Baerbocková and Lipavský said
Prague – German compensation for the supply of weapons to Ukraine from the Czech Republic is working well. Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský (Pirates) and the head of German diplomacy Annalena Baerbocková (Greens) agreed on this today in Prague. According to her, the compensation of the provided material is now being finalized with the German industry, and Germany will decide how it could be transferred to other countries as well. The Czechia is supplying heavy weapons to Ukraine, Germany will provide it with 15 Leopard 2A4 tanks.
“Deliveries from the Czech Republic to Ukraine have already taken place. Right now we are in the finalization phase of the joint contract, namely how to do it through industry for Germany. But I emphasize industry. We know that as far as our own funds are concerned, we do not have enough material to be able to supply Ta the pause that occurred as part of the finalization of the contract, so we have to look at how to transfer the contract we have with the Czech Republic to other countries so that invoices are delivered. They should not be theoretical,” said Baerbocková.
The Czech army will receive 14 battle tanks and one recovery tank. At the end of June, the Ministry of Defense Jana Černochová (ODS) told deputies of the parliamentary defense committee that the Czechia would like to have the first of the tanks from Germany by the end of the summer so that the army can start training on them. Initial training, village and spare parts will be provided by the German side. This year, the training of Czech soldiers will begin in Germany, followed by joint intensive training of Czech and German tank drivers in the Czech Republic as well. According to available information, the Czechia sent T-72 tanks and other heavy combat equipment to Ukraine. Mutual aid was agreed upon at the beginning of May by Prime Minister Petr Fiala (ODS) and Chancellor Ofaf Scholz.
Lipavský thanked his colleague for the cooperation in defense. According to him, the tank replacement program is a symbol of the quality of mutual relations between the Czech Republic and Germany. He mentioned Czech deliveries of tanks, armored personnel carriers and helicopters to Ukraine. “In addition to economic and humanitarian aid, armed aid is also necessary. If Ukraine is to be able to defend against the Russian imperial invasion, it unfortunately has to do so with weapons,” said Lipavský. According to him, weapons from the Soviet era are starting to run out and there is a need to debate what kind of Western weapons will be supplied. He mentioned the effect of modern supplies from the US and other countries in Ukraine’s defense. “It is up to each state how it decides to help,” the foreign minister added. According to him, Germany has “the potential to make a change”. Baerbock said that an “epochal change” took place in Germany after the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and it also supplies heavy weapons.
According to the German Foreign Ministry, support should now be provided more quickly and in a more coordinated manner. “The war that Russia is waging with brutality can last for months. We all want peace in Ukraine. But what it means and when it will happen, only the people of Ukraine will decide. Peace is more than just the absence of violence and war, it means a secure future for the people of Ukraine, ” Baerbock noted. She appreciated that the Czechia issued 400,000 visas for protection to war refugees. She called it a huge achievement.
Lipavský and Baerbocková signed the partnership program between the Czech Republic and Germany until 2024
Lipavský and Baerbocková signed the strategic partnership program between the Czech Republic and Germany until 2024 in Prague. It concerns energy security, climate change measures and cross-border cooperation. Lipavský said this at a press conference after the meeting with Baerbock.
According to Lipavsky, the current war in Ukraine, the stoppage of Russian gas supplies and the energy crisis show the importance of relations in Europe. “Among the most important partnership relations that the Czech Republic has in Europe is the Czech-German relationship… We signed a new and very professional strategic dialogue program with the minister, which will determine a number of activities after the next two years,” he said. According to him, the program reflects the priority of the Czech presidency, such as energy independence, and also affects common defense, climate change, and cross-border cooperation in transport and healthcare.
“These are absolutely concrete projects, they are not just headlines and headlines. A visible project of mutual cooperation focused on the future will be the connection of hydrogen-powered buses between Prague and Dresden,” said Baerbocková. According to her, it is necessary to get rid of dependence on energy from Russia, to support green ecological transformation and the fight against climate change.
The ministry pointed out that the geographically closest capital city to Berlin is Prague. “This state is reflected in the joint program,” she added.
During today’s visit, Baerbock and Lipavský talked about foreign policy. They debated the attitudes towards Russia and support and the future reconstruction of Ukraine. Lipavský said that they did not forget China either. According to the Czech foreign minister, China’s rise in power can represent “significant challenges” for Europe, which must be solved together. At the end of August, a meeting of EU foreign ministers takes place in Prague.
The German Foreign Ministry honored the memory of the victims of Nazism in Lidice
By laying wreaths at the common grave of Lidice men and statues of murdered children in Lidice, Baerbock and her Czech counterpart Lipavský honored the memory of the victims of Nazism. Together they visited the memorial of the village, 80 years have passed since its annihilation this June, and met with the last living witnesses of this tragedy. Lipavský said after the roughly three-and-a-half-hour visit that Baerbock’s visit to Lidice proves the balance of today’s relations between the Czech Republic and Germany. He added that people in Ukraine are now experiencing crimes similar to those in Lidice because of Russian aggression.
Baerbocková arrived in Lidice in the morning after the press conference she had with Lipavský in Prague. She has already emphasized that it is important for Germany to remember how important it is to maintain peace in the center of Europe. According to her, Lidice has become a symbol of fascist will. In order for the repetition of such crimes to appear, according to her, the EU. “The memory of Lidice and the victims of brutal violence remain… It is the task of our generation to ensure that our children can live in peace forever and that our EU is thus secured,” she said. With regard to current challenges, such as Russian aggression in Ukraine, according to Baerbocková, this is also one of the tasks of the current presidency of the Czech Republic in the Council of the EU.
Together, the ministers walked through the memorial area of Lidice, where they stopped by the stone of one of the demolished houses, laid wreaths at the grave of the murdered men and then at the memorial to the children who died in the extermination camp in Poland in 1942. In addition to the delegations of the ministry and the minister, the director of the Lidice memorial, Eduard Stehlík, accompanied them. They spent about a quarter of an hour with him at the children’s statues and finally met with the survivors of the Lydian tragedies for a short time without the media.
According to Lipavský, Baerbock’s visit to Lidice is a strong gesture. According to him, it testifies, among other things, to the openness and strength of today’s relations between the Czech Republic and Germany. “We are at peace with history, we can talk about it openly, we can also remember dark places from history,” he said. According to him, Baerbock showed a deep interest in the fate of Lidice. “She was very impressed by the memorial,” he said.
He reminded that war has returned to Europe due to Russian aggression in Ukraine. “Atrocities similar to those in Lidice are taking place there. People are abducted there, children are separated from their parents, they are taken to Russia for re-education. People go through filter camps, we were also direct witnesses of the extermination of entire villages, such as in Buč he said. According to him, this clearly shows that evil must not be given way. At the same time, he welcomed the fact that Baerbock is one of the supporters of vigorous progress towards Russia.
On June 10, 1942, the Nazis shot 173 men in Lidice. Most of the children were gassed in the Nazi extermination camp in Chelmno, Poland, the women were taken to the concentration camp in Ravensbrück. 340 inhabitants of Lidice became victims of the Nazis who burned down the village, 143 women returned after the war, and seventeen of the 105 children were found after the war.