FOREIGN
RELATIONS
From 1948
until 1989, the foreign policy of Czechoslovakia followed that
of the Soviet Union. Since independence, the Czechs have made
integration into Western institutions their chief foreign policy
objective.
The Czech Republic became a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, along with Poland and Hungary, on March 12, 1999. The Czech Republic became a full member of the European Union on May 1, 2004. Both events are milestones in the country's foreign policy and security orientation. The Czech Republic is scheduled to host the rotating EU Presidency during the first half of 2009.
The Czech
Republic is a member of the United Nations and participates in
its specialized agencies. It is a member of the World Trade Organization.
It maintains diplomatic relations with more than 85 countries,
of which 80 have permanent representation in Prague.
U.S.-CZECH
RELATIONS
Millions of Americans have their roots in Bohemia and Moravia,
and a large community in the United States has strong cultural
and familial ties with the Czech Republic. President Woodrow Wilson
and the United States played a major role in the establishment
of the original Czechoslovak state on October 28, 1918. President
Wilson's 14 Points, including the right of ethnic groups to form
their own states, were the basis for the union of the Czechs and
Slovaks. Tomas Masaryk, the father of the state and its first
President, visited the United States during World War I and worked
with U.S. officials in developing the basis of the new country.
Masaryk used the U.S. Constitution as a model for the first Czechoslovak
constitution.
After
World War II, and the return of the Czechoslovak Government in
exile, normal relations continued until 1948, when the communists
seized power. Relations cooled rapidly. The Soviet invasion of
Czechoslovakia in August 1968 further complicated U.S.-Czechoslovak
relations. The United States referred the matter to the UN Security
Council as a violation of the UN Charter, but no action was taken
against the Soviets.
Since
the "Velvet Revolution" of 1989, bilateral relations
have improved immensely. Dissidents once sustained by U.S. encouragement
and human rights policies reached high levels in the government.
President Havel, in his first official visit as head of Czechoslovakia,
addressed the U.S. Congress and was interrupted 21 times by standing
ovations. In 1990, on the first anniversary of the revolution,
President George H.W. Bush, in front of an enthusiastic crowd
on Prague's Wenceslas Square, pledged U.S. support in building
a democratic Czechoslovakia. Toward this end, the U.S. Government
has actively encouraged political and economic transformation.
The U.S.
Government was originally opposed to the idea of Czechoslovakia
forming two separate states, due to concerns that a split might
aggravate existing regional political tensions. However, the U.S.
recognized both the Czech Republic and Slovakia on January 1,
1993. Since then, U.S.-Czech relations have remained strong economically,
politically, and culturally.
Relations
between the U.S. and the Czech Republic are excellent and reflect
the common approach both have to the many challenges facing the
world at present. The U.S. looks to the Czech Republic as a partner
in issues ranging from Afghanistan to the Balkans, and seeks opportunities
to continue to deepen this relationship.
NATIONAL SECURITY
The Czech Republic has made a significant contribution to the War on Terrorism relative to its size. It deployed a nuclear/biological/chemical (NBC) defense unit in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and a field hospital in support of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan. When the U.S. intervened in Iraq, the Czechs moved their field hospital from Afghanistan to Basra and deployed an NBC unit to Kuwait. Both the field hospital and the NBC unit have left Iraq. In April 2004, the Czech Government deployed a Special Forces unit to OEF in Afghanistan, and a group of specialists to ISAF. The Special Forces unit returned to the Czech Republic in September 2004. In March 2005, the Czechs deployed military reconnaissance troops to serve with a German-led Provincial Reconstruction Team under ISAF.
The parliament has approved the following 2007 deployments of over 1,000 troops in missions to Iraq, Afghanistan, the Balkans, and Lebanon, as well as additional troops to the NATO Response Force.
Iraq: 99 soldiers at a multinational force (MNF) base close to the City of Basra where they conduct police training.
Five soldiers are also serving at the International Command of the NATO Training Mission in Baghdad.
Afghanistan: 148 deployed; roughly 150 more could be deployed in 2007. Sixty-six are in Kabul where the Czechs have command of the International Airport (KAIA), under the NATO-led ISAF. Another 82 soldiers are in Faizabad province serving the multinational Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT). At the 2006 NATO summit in Riga, President Klaus announced plans for the deployment of an additional 70 soldiers, including 35 military police for operations in the south, 10 additional chem-bio troops, and 25 reinforcements for the PRT in Faizabad.
In February 2007, the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies approved the deployment of a 70-man field hospital, which began deployment in March 2007. They also approved an additional deployment of a specially trained police unit to operate in support of U.K. forces in southern Afghanistan. This deployment occurred in spring 2007.
Kosovo: The Czech Republic has had troops in Kosovo since 1999. The 10th rotation of troops arrived in January 2007. There are currently 394 soldiers doing peacekeeping under NATO KFOR. The biggest element of this group comes from the 42nd Mechanized Battalion at Tabor.
Bosnia and Herzegovina: 52 troops under an EU mission: 48 at a base in Tuzla, 4 in Sarajevo.
Lebanon: Authorization for 10 troops to join the UNIFIL mission.
The Czech Republic became a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on March 12, 1999. A major overhaul of the Czechoslovak defense forces began in 1990 and continues in the Czech Republic. Czech forces are being downsized from 200,000 to approximately 35,000, and at the same time reoriented toward a more mobile, deployable force structure. The Czechs have made good progress in reforming the military personnel structure, and a strong commitment to English-language training is paying off. Compulsory military service ended in December 2004. Public support for NATO membership remains around 50%-60%. The Czech Government currently spends slightly less than 2% of GDP on defense. This puts Czech defense spending on a par with the European NATO average.
The Czech Republic has good to excellent relations with all of its neighbors, and none of its borders are in question. The Czech Republic is a member of the UN and OSCE and has contributed to numerous peacekeeping operations, including IFOR/SFOR in Bosnia and KFOR in Kosovo, as well as Desert Shield/Desert Storm and Enduring Freedom.
Principal U.S. Embassy Officials
Ambassador--Richard Graber
Deputy Chief of Mission--Mary Thompson-Jones
Political-Economic Officer--Michael Dodman
Commercial Officer--Greg O’Connor
Consular Officer--Stuart Hatcher
Management Officer--Martin Hohe
Regional Security Officer--Jim Pelphrey
Public Affairs Officer--Michael Hahn
The U.S. Embassy in Prague is located at Trziste 15, 11801 Prague 1, Czech Republic; tel: 420-257-022-000; emergency after hours 420-257022-352.
