Czech ambassador to Russia takes issue with Paroubek's statement

"Over the past three years during which a right-wing government ruled the Czech Republic, relations between the Czech Republic and Russia strongly worsened," Paroubek said according to a transcript and translation of an interview that the Internet web page of the Finam FM radio station posted this morning.

"I cannot agree with this in my capacity as ambassador to the Russian Federation because relations were and are pragmatic," Kostelka told CTK today.

"They have been markedly improving in the field of economic cooperation over the past few years. Indeed, there were some problems on the political level, but generally speaking, relations with Russia are maintained on a very good level. There is always something to improve, but they are definitely not worse than they were three years ago," Kostelka said.

Paroubek said "one of the tasks of our government, if we win the [October early parliamentary] election, will be to improve relations between Russia and the Czech Republic."

"This does not mean thatwe will not be fulfilling all commitments towards our allies in NATO and the European Union. It means that we will be looking for friends the world round," Paroubek said.

He recalled that 70 percent of Czechs are opposed to the planned stationing of a U.S. radar base on Czech soil.

Moscow has since the very beginning been vehemently protesting against the possible building of a U.S. anti-missile defence system in the Czech Republic and Poland that it sees as an immediate threat.

"Mr Paroubek does have the right to assess the relations from his point of view. I am not assessing him because I am not a politician, but a mere ambassador. But I must say in defence of myself and my subordinates and their work that I do not think that relations between the Russian Federation and the Czech Republic would now be worse than in the past," Kostelka said.

He supported his claim by a record level of bilateral trade last year and preparations for the visits of the two countries' presidents following the successful talks between the Czech and Russian presidents, Vaclav Klaus and Dmitry Medvedev during the EU summit in Khabarovsk, east Russia.

Kostelka said Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin would have visited the Czech Republic in September already if there were not the change of government in the Czech Republic.

He added Putin may arrive by the year's end, however.

Klaus himself said after his meeting with Medvedev in May there are not dramatic problems in relations between the two states and that the dispute over the considered U.S. radar on Czech soil is no longer on the agenda of the day.

Kostelka, too, said the radar has been pushed to the background and that U.S. President Barack Obama is expected to make a decision on the European anti-missile defence elements.

Obama will visit Moscow next month. Kostelka said he is "deeply convinced that we will eventually cooperate with Russia in anti-missile defence - it is a matter of agreements."

He said, however, it must not be forgotten that "not only the Russian Federation and the United States, but also the Czech Republic and Poland are sovereign states."

Kostelka has been in Russia for four years and he is to be replaced soon.

In April current ambassador to the United States Petr Kolar was considered.

Author: ČTK
www.ctk.cz