Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala met in Berlin with Chancellor Friedrich Merz of the Federal Republic of Germany. The leaders discussed the development of the railway link between the two countries, strengthening defence cooperation, energy and tackling illegal migration. They also agreed on the need to continue joint efforts to support Ukraine. Prime Minister Fiala also praised Germany's important contribution to our munitions initiative.
After the meeting, the Prime Minister stressed that Germany is the Czech Republic's strategic partner with which we have strong economic and people-to-people ties.
"I am happy to say that our relations are stronger than ever - based on trust, open dialogue and a shared interest in a stable and prosperous Europe. We share the same views on a number of key issues. The current international situation is not only a challenge for us, but also an opportunity for closer and more effective cooperation in many areas." said the Prime Minister.
The leaders discussed the need to complete the high-speed railway between the Czech Republic and Germany. "A few days ago, my government approved a draft agreement on the construction of the Erzgebirge Tunnel between the Czech Republic and Germany. I am glad that the Chancellor has assured me that the German government is also going to approve the contract. This tunnel will become part of the new high-speed link between Prague and Dresden. Once completed, the journey from Prague to Berlin will take two hours instead of the current four hours. The modernisation of the Prague-Munich-Nuremberg line is also crucial for us. The journey from Prague to Munich still takes six hours, we need to change that," said the Czech Prime Minister.
Defence cooperation and European security was an important topic of the meeting. The Prime Minister welcomed Germany's assumption of greater responsibility for the defence of Europe and said that the Czech Republic was interested in close cooperation between our armed forces.
"The growth of direct defence spending by our countries opens up a number of new opportunities for expanding defence cooperation. Our joint investments in defence will lead to the strengthening of the Czech and German defence industry, to innovation, to greater competitiveness. Further opportunities may arise from the acquisition of F-35 fighter jets by both our countries or, to an even greater extent, from the joint purchase of German Leopard tanks with significant participation by Czech industry. We want Czech companies to be involved in the production of all Leopard tanks, not just those that we will buy for the Czech army." said Prime Minister Fiala.
The leaders agreed that together we must continue to support Ukraine. "The main task is to ensure a continuous supply of military equipment to enable Ukraine to defend itself. I very much appreciate Germany's significant contribution to our munitions initiative. We also want to work with Germany to strengthen Ukraine's air defences, especially against drones, which the Russians use to terrorise the civilian population." said the Prime Minister.
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