Prime Minister Petr Fiala met with his British counterpart Keir Starmer in Downing Street in London. The two Prime Ministers signed a memorandum confirming the common will of both countries to strengthen their nuclear energy partnership and discussed trade and investment promotion, defence cooperation and other assistance to Ukraine. During his visit to London, Prime Minister Fiala also visited the headquarters of the British intelligence service MI6 and met with his compatriots. He awarded Karel Kramář medals to three prominent figures from the compatriot community.

According to the Czech Prime Minister, the meeting in Downing Street confirmed that the relations between our countries are excellent and despite the UK's departure from the EU we remain firm allies who share responsibility for stability and security in Europe. The Prime Ministers signed a Memorandum confirming the common will of both countries to strengthen their partnership in the nuclear energy sector.

"There is great potential in nuclear power for the years to come as it experiences a renaissance. I am all the more pleased that CEZ and Rolls-Royce will work together to develop and manufacture small modular reactors. This will be a great boon for the Czech and British economy and jobs. We share a common view of energy with the UK and we have a very similar plan with our British colleagues for the future of energy. We see a combination of large nuclear power stations, small modular reactors and renewables as ideal. I believe that working with the UK will help us to ensure energy security and affordable energy for future generations, as this is a priority for our government." said Prime Minister Petr Fiala.

The Memorandum builds on the November 2023 Joint Communication on Cooperation in Nuclear Energy and newly expands joint activities in the areas of project preparation and construction of nuclear power plants, education, research and development. The two countries intend to cooperate in the field of both large nuclear power plants and small modular reactors.

The aim is also to support industrial and innovation partnerships and the involvement of Czech and British companies in projects in both countries. Thanks to the Memorandum, a unique training centre may be established in the Czech Republic. The British Rolls-Royce SMR is also exploring the possibility of building a module factory in the Czech Republic.

The leaders also discussed strengthening trade cooperation. "I went to the UK to promote trade, there are many opportunities for our companies. Exports to the UK have been growing for a long time. Prime Minister Starmer and I also met with Czech businessmen who are investing in the UK and I am convinced that there is great scope for developing cooperation." added the Czech Prime Minister.

Further support for Ukraine and a common position towards Russia were also key topics of the meeting. Prime Minister Fiala also visited the headquarters of the British intelligence service MI6.

During his visit to London, the Prime Minister awarded the Karel Kramář Medal to three prominent personalities from the Czech community: to Lady Milena Grenfell-Baines for her lifelong efforts in strengthening Czech-British relations, to Jana Nahodilová for her long-standing support of the Czech community in the United Kingdom and to Zuzana Jungmanová for her fundamental contribution to the development of Czech education abroad. The Karel Kramář Medal is the highest award given by the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic with the value of a commemorative medal.

vlada.cz/gnews.cz - GH