Islamabad, Feb 17: This year we commemorate the 75th anniversary of establishing the diplomatic relationship between Czechia and Pakistan. The agreement has been signed on 27 September 1950 in Karachi. At that time, Czechia was a part of Czechoslovakia, which was peacefully divided into Czechia and Slovakia on the 1 January 1993. Czechia then became the successor country of the former common state.
The method and subsequent execution of the division of Czechoslovakia is unparalleled in the world: not a single shot was fired, not a drop of blood was spilled. It was a civilized and peaceful separation, based on the independent political decisions of democratically elected leaders, which both nations fully accepted.
Nowadays, Czechia is a modern, developed country, member of European Union and NATO, with a high quality of life, low unemployment, and low debt of public finances. It is a country with a rich cultural and historical tradition. Its capital, Prague, is one of the most visited cities in Europe. We are a nation of creative people, successful scientists, and inventors.
Czechia and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan have maintained correct and friendly relations since their inception. We successfully support each other within the framework of multilateral diplomacy. I congratulate Pakistan on being elected as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for 2025-2026.
Economic cooperation remains one of our main priorities. In the past, Czech companies helped Pakistan build its industry in a variety of areas. The Bata shoe factory in Batapur, which was founded in 1942 by Czech employees of the original Czechoslovak Bata company, serves as a good example. Economic and trade relations were mainly conducted through a long-term trade agreement, first concluded in 1956 and renewed annually.
Czechoslovakia imported jute and chrome concentrates and exported cars, mining equipment, textile machinery, chemicals and dyes. In Pakistan, Czech-made Skoda cars were mainly used by taxi drivers, while Praga V3S and Tatra 111 trucks worked in the mountains of Baluchistan and Punjab.
Czechoslovakia provided Pakistan with a long-term loan for the construction of sugar mills, cement factories, and an engineering plant. Further technical co-operation agreement helped set up the heavy engineering plant in Taxila and later the arms factory in Vah.
Currently, Czech exports focus on healthcare and the chemical and pharmaceutical industries. Last year, the Economic Cooperation Agreement came into effect, and we have noted a growing interest among Czech companies in doing business with Pakistan.
The Joint Commission on economic cooperation will be held in Islamabad in April and we are happy to work together with Ministry of Economic Affairs on the effective and concrete results of these meetings. We see great possibilities for mutual cooperation in healthcare, renewable energy, chemical and pharmaceutical sectors, mining, R&D, water treatment, and agriculture.
I would like to thank the Bloom Pakistan for great cooperation and the possibility to publish this article. We agreed to publish periodically, to create a series of articles, in which we would like to introduce the main sectors of the Czech industry. Tune for more next month!
Long live Czechia and Pakistan!
Author: Ladislav Steinhübel, Ambassador of Czechia to Pakistan
