The Czech President, Petr Pavel, received the Romanian President, Nicușor Dan, on Wednesday, September 30th, at Prague Castle. He arrived in the Czech Republic for an official visit. Together with Eva Pavlová, he also welcomed the President's partner, Mirabela Gradinarová. The main topics of discussion were European security, support for Ukraine, and opportunities for further development of economic cooperation between the Czech Republic and Romania.

A significant portion of the discussions focused on the security situation in the eastern wing of NATO and in the Black Sea region. They also discussed the repeated violations of Romanian airspace by Russian drones. President Pavel praised Romania's role in the collective defense of the North Atlantic Alliance and emphasized the importance of the Black Sea region for the security of all of Europe.

In addition to security issues, the economy was also on the agenda. Romania is an important trading partner of the Czech Republic in Southeastern Europe, and both countries see further opportunities for developing their mutual relations.

According to the presidents, opportunities for cooperation are primarily available in the modernization of railway and urban transport, in energy, digitalization, or the defense industry. Czech companies could participate, for example, in the modernization of Romanian transport infrastructure and armed forces with their technologies.

The official visit of the Romanian President, therefore, confirmed not only the interest in security issues but also the desire of both countries to deepen economic relations and explore new areas of cooperation.

Jaroslav Holý