Minister Lipavský visited the United Kingdom between November 14 and 15, 2024. On the first day, he met his British counterpart David Lammy in London. The ministers discussed the development of Czech-British relations, the Russian war against Ukraine and current foreign policy issues.
“We talked about how we can further deepen our work on a safer Europe, on containing Russian influence,” said Minister Lipavský after the meeting . In addition to the security of Europe, bilateral relations, trade cooperation and also the future relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union were discussed.
” A significant milestone in our relations is the signing of the agreement between ČEZ and Rolls-Royce. It is a really significant event when the Czech Republic will not purchase any technology, but will participate in capital and also in terms of development and production in small modular reactors, ” added the Czech Foreign Minister regarding bilateral cooperation.
Jan Lipavský then spoke with Nick Catsaras, the British Prime Minister’s deputy adviser for national security, about Czech-British cooperation in the field of foreign policy and security and about current security challenges.
During the two-day visit, the head of Czech diplomacy also presented the Gratias Agit award to George Scott, a historian and prominent figure of the Czechoslovak veteran community.
Minister Lipavský also attended the Magnitsky Human Rights Awards ceremony on Thursday, November 14, 2024 . Jan Lipavský himself received this award for his contribution to the protection of human rights in 2022. ” It takes courage to speak out against autocrats. The Czech Republic will always stand by those who do so, ” said the head of Czech diplomacy in his speech.
” At the end of the trip, I met the local Ukrainian ambassador Valery Zaluzhny in London. His courage and personal example were key to repelling Russian aggression, which is an attack against all democratic countries. That’s why I decided to award him the Medal for Merit in Diplomacy, ” Jan Lipavský added to his trip.
