On Tuesday, the Czech Republic marked 108 years of independence and 20 years of diplomatic presence in the Kurdistan Region with a reception in Erbil, where Czech Consul General Lukáš Gjurič reaffirmed Prague’s continued support for the region.

“We are honored to celebrate this year the 20th anniversary of the opening of our first permanent representative office. We were of course not the first foreign representative office here, but we were among the first,” Consul General Gjurič said in his speech at the reception. 

“And as a young Middle East specialist in the Foreign Ministry in Prague, I myself shared from a distance in the excitement of witnessing those foundational years of the Kurdistan Region.”

Consul General Gjurič stated that for a number of years — especially after the ordeal of the war against ISIS — Iraq, including the Kurdistan Region, was a priority destination of Czech humanitarian and stabilization support.

“The Czech government also contributed both materially and in personnel to the multinational military effort to defeat ISIS alongside the Iraqi army and the Peshmerga. Today Erbil is a modern, vibrant metropolis that would be unrecognizable to those who visited 20 years ago,” he said

“Although the big wave of international support has long passed, Czechia continues to offer support to the Kurdistan Region, not least in recognition of the responsibility the region continues to carry for refugees and internally displaced persons on its territory.”

He said as a result, it is time today to concentrate on more “standard business, scientific, and cultural mutually enriching exchange.”

He also announced that Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Minister of Agriculture and Water Resources Begard Talabani will visit the Czech Republic, accompanied by representatives of some of Kurdistan’s largest companies in the fields of agriculture and water infrastructure. 

Furthermore, he stated that the Czech military rifle known commonly as the Brno continues to hold an almost mythical status among Kurds, to the extent that several days ago it was publicly discussed as a possible gift between two of Kurdistan’s top political leaders. 

“My wish is that the Brno would also be seen as a symbol of much wider and more contemporary Czech technological expertise,” he said. “ I am convinced [this expertise] has a lot to offer to the Kurdistan Region in its dynamic quest for economic development.

“We hope that the upcoming agricultural visit will be followed by similar efforts to connect business people in other economic sectors, and our consulate will be honored to play a part in this.”

In his speech at the event, Safeen Dizayee, Head of the KRG Department of Foreign Relations, underlined the historic relationship between the Czech Republic and the Kurdistan Region. 

“We highly appreciate the support and the contributions made during peacetime and during conflict times, particularly in our war against ISIS.”

He also underlined that the visit by Minister Talabani to Prague will be an opportunity to strengthen existing bonds and bridges. 

“Agriculture is one of the areas that we pay attention to and we believe your country is very well developed and they will be able to assist us with developing programs of agriculture.

“The presidency, all government institutions and political leaders, and the people of Kurdistan are ready to cooperate in order to enhance our relationship even further. We wish you all the best on this great day and we hope that you will be able to develop this relationship more and more into other fields. The opportunities are ample.”