By Reaven D’Souza
Executive Managing Editor
In a recent exclusive interview with The Times Kuwait, Ambassador of the Czech Republic H.E. Juraj Chmiel spoke at length about relations between his country and Kuwait in various domains, and the prospects for strengthening people to people ties, and increasing the volume of bilateral trade and tourism. He also eloquently described the many amazing travel and tourism experiences that await visitors to Czechia, and invited everyone to pay a visit to his country.
He began by expanding on the strong ties between the two countries, “I can proudly say that the Czech-Kuwaiti relations are based on a solid foundation starting from the year 1961, and next year will mark 60 years since the opening of the Czechoslovak Embassy in Kuwait. Strong and friendly political ties were seen especially during the 1990-91 period, when 200 soldiers from the Czechoslovak Chemical Unit were deployed here to help Kuwait against the Iraqi occupation. More recently, the Czech Secretary of State from the Ministry of Foreign Affaires visited Kuwait last year and held high-level discussions. Other high ranking mutual visits are also in the pipeline.
“Nowadays, besides ties at the political and diplomatic level, our relations are based increasingly on people-to-people interactions, as well as on medical tourism and business ties. Thousands of Kuwaiti citizens are visiting Czechia each year. They mostly spend their time in famous thermal baths and medical spas, with a few Kuwaitis even owning some of these spas. They know very well cities and places like Prague, Karlovy Vary, Františkovy Lázně, Mariánské Lázně, Teplice, Darkov or Český Krumlov. But Czechia is not only about spas, we have plenty of ancient castles, beautiful rivers, lakes, dams, caves, mountains, excellent dishes and other attractions for visitors.
“Talking about nature and lifestyle, nearly everything can be found in Czechia: from wild nature including peat bogs in the Šumava National Park in the south of the country, to the ski slopes all over Czechia. You can go fishing in rivers, brooks and fishponds, or climb mountains, go hiking or skiing. One interesting thing about Czechs: as a people we are passionate mushroom pickers! If you are not a fan of mushrooms, you can just wander in the depth of forests, or hire a boat and go sailing.
“Or maybe you are not a nature lover and prefer to visit some industrial sites? Why not! Czechia is the most industrial country in Central Europe. Coal mining history in Czechia is really rich; mostly around the town of Most and in the country’s the third biggest city of Ostrava. You can also snuggle in the shadows of many towns and cities and explore their tiny historical streets, vast range of museums of all kinds or visit one of many music festivals and/or art galleries. Some of the most famous composers and writers were born here, for example Bedřich Smetana and Franz Kafka. We truly have everything; everything, but the sea and the desert, but we do have a few sand dunes.
“Our country is rich not only in culture and nature, history can also be felt everywhere you go, especially in the capital Prague. Our beautiful country is located in the very heart of Europe – just next to Germany, Poland, Austria and Slovakia. With Slovakia, we created Czechoslovakia in 1918 but then we were occupied by Nazis from1938 to1945, and from 1948 to1989 we were under influence of the Soviet Union, and was even invaded by the Soviets and their satellites in 1968. The last Soviet soldier left in 1991, less than two years after the Velvet revolution in 1989. In 1992 the Czechs and Slovaks decided to peacefully separate and two independent states were created in 1993—Czechia and Slovakia.”
Elaborating on economic and trade relations between the two countries, the ambassador noted: “On the economic side, Kuwaitis might know Czech brands such as Skoda, Lasvit—the large chandelier in the Assima Mall, which is even in the Guiness Book of Records as the biggest one in the world and, in my opinion, also the most beautiful one, is made by Lasvit. If I were to mention one more popular Czech product, it would be Marlenka, the traditional honey cake.
“I am pleased that our trade relations have also developed dynamically. Our trade volumes have been on the rise for the last few years. In the first half of this year, the bilateral trade exchange volumes already reached values of 2023 and it will, most probably, double by the end of this year. I am glad to see that Czech made Škoda cars have become more and more popular. Last November, ŠKODA Auto opened a new fully-digitized showroom in Kuwait. And, not a well known fact, but there is another Czech car in the market, the Hyundai Tucson. But how is a Korean car Czech, you might ask; because it is manufactured in my country. I am also proud that our Czech company DEKONTA is helping to effectively remediate the decontaminated soil in the oilfields, as part of Kuwait Oil Company’s KERP-UNDP project.
“In the cultural field, or people to people diplomacy, I would like to highlight the rich Czech history and our culture closer to the people living in this beautiful country. During my tenure I would like to continue the road shows, focusing on various aspects of Czechia. We plan to shortly introduce our most famous tourist attractions, a lot of them are listed as UNESCO sites, as well as our beautiful mountains, forests, rivers, lakes, historic towns, and achievements in the field of sciences, culture, sports etc through these shows, or exhibitions.
“Definitely I would also like to introduce the renowned Czech writer Franz Kafka to the Kuwaiti public, since many of his books were translated into Arabic, as well as more music from the famous Czech old and modern composers, such as Dvořák, Smetana, Janáček and others. Incidentally, we also have several Nobel Prize winners and Oscar movie winners who are Czech. Our animation movie studios are also acclaimed around the world.
“I would like to mention here that I have studied African and Oriental Studies. Despite my primary focus on African studies I also learned a lot about history and culture of the Gulf states. Already at that time I admired the bravery of the Kuwaiti merchant sailors and pearl divers and fell in love with Kuwait’s rich past. In cooperation with the institutions in Kuwait and the Kuwaiti Embassy in Prague, I would love to make Kuwait’s admirable history and culture more known in Czechia.”
Turning to investments in his country, Ambassador Chmiel noted: “We have a lot of private Kuwaiti investments, for example in real estate in Prague, or in the spa areas, as Czechia offers wonderful green spaces, forests, mountains, historical cities, natural resources, excellent cuisine and shopping opportunities. Besides investments in real estates, Czechia also offers a broad spectrum of interesting investment in venture capital, focusing on new technologies, IT, cybersecurity, research in the medical or energy sector. Czechia is traditionally one of the most industrialized countries within the European Union and its educated people represent a great bond for future development and investment. Czechia is also well known as a very secure and stable country offering attractive investment and business opportunities and climate. Our two countries also have a bilateral Investment Treaty, which helps a lot.
“On the diplomatic front, as I already mentioned, high level official visits and meetings are in the pipeline. For instance, a ‘Bilateral Agreement on Economic and Technical Cooperation’ focusing on energy and other prospective sectors will be signed at the first convenient occasion by representatives of the Ministry of Finance of the State of Kuwait and Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic. Based on this Agreement, a Joint Intergovernmental Commission, which meets regularly in Prague and in Kuwait, will be established. Political consultations will be held next year in Prague. Building on this solid foundation, I believe that we can further develop the existing bilateral ties and economic cooperation between our two friendly countries.
“In addition, there are lots of space to deepen the ties between Czechia and Kuwait in business, culture and diplomacy and I, with my Embassy team, will be happy to be part of that. More specifically I would like to see closer cooperation in the areas of energy, defense, health and education sectors, as well as in cybersecurity. These areas were also identified as the priority by His Highness the Amir, during presentation of my credentials to His Highness We can also cooperate in food security and food safety, waste-management, as well as in agriculture sectors focusing, for example, on irrigation, portable water production and others. Also, in the field of education we highly appreciate the scholarships given out by the Kuwaiti Government to study the Arabic language, and currently we have three students studying Arabic at the Kuwait University. And yes, we also have students from Kuwait in our Universities.
“I am glad that now in summer Czechia is even more accessible to people from Kuwait, thanks to direct flights initiated by Jazeera Airways this season. With direct flights. three times a week to Prague and the flight taking just five hours, there is every reason to visit Czechia this summer. Such direct flights help to better develop people-to-people relations, as well as, business and investment cooperation opportunities, especially if these direct flights between our capitals can be operated throughout the year. We plan to support this by means of a targeted project of economic diplomacy co-organized by the Czech Tourism agency.”
Stressing the areas of priority and focus during his tenure here in Kuwait, the Czech ambassador said: “Briefly, we will be looking at closer cooperation on political level, and a focus on cooperation in energy, health, education, defense, including cybersecurity and agriculture sectors, waste management. We would also love to see all year round direct flights between Prague and Kuwait City, as well as more intense cultural exchanges.”
On a personal note, Ambassador Chmiel revealed that he initially was in the academic field engaged in historical research before deciding to transition to diplomacy. “Prior to joining the state service in 1992, I was working in the Slovak Academy of Sciences as researcher on the history of sub-Saharan Africa, which included a scholarship at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London and several field trips to Ethiopia. I then decided to join the state service, and during my time in the foreign service I was engaged in various capacities, starting as desk officer in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and later occupying the post of director, and acting director-general in other Government offices.
“This is my fifth Ambassadorial posting. I was in Nigeria, Australia, Hungary and in Slovenia, before being appointed to Kuwait. Despite this wide experience, I am most proud about three positions in my career so far. First, as Political Affairs Officer during the UN operation in Somalia (UNOSOM 1993-1994), then as Minister for European Affairs in the Government of the Czech Republic (2009-2010), and during my service as Deputy Minister at the Ministry of Agriculture (2010-2011).
“I also never fully abandoned my research career, and have continued to publish books, as well as scientific and popular articles. In addition, I like to lecture about various topics, including the Czech Republic and the EU in the globalized world, roots of migration, renewable sources of energy, and other topics, all of which are interestingly, interconnected.
“Last, but not least, I have to admit, despite being in the country for just a few months, I have already fallen in love with Kuwait. I was first here around 20 years ago for just a few days, but even back then, I told myself that I must return here for a longer period. And not only because of my education background, but because of the radiating aura, which I felt then and can feel it every day now.
“Whenever it is possible, I would like to travel to the desert areas of Kuwait, or walk on the beaches, or simply sit in the restaurants and observe life around me. I also look forward to visiting the museums and other places of cultural heritage here. And one more secret I will divulge; I love the very hot, but very dry weather here in Kuwait, so especially the summer months here are perfect for me.”
