On 30 January 2024, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Czech Republic to Ukraine Radek Pech visited Dnipropetrovsk region as part of the development of partnerships between the country that has taken on the role of coordinator for the restoration of our region.
The programme of the visit was quite intense and included meetings with both the region’s leadership, in particular with the head of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Council Mykola Lukashuk, and with organisations focused on supporting the region’s business community, including the Dnipropetrovsk Investment Agency and the Dnipropetrovsk Chamber of Commerce and Industry. This was the first visit of a Czech diplomat since his appointment as Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Ukraine in late 2023.
During the meeting at the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Council, Mykola Lukashuk expressed his gratitude to the Czech Government and the Czech people for their support of Dnipropetrovsk region and their willingness to work together to restore Ukraine. In addition, he noted the economic cooperation between Dnipropetrovsk region and the Czech Republic, which did not stop during the full-scale military invasion of Ukraine by the aggressor country. There are still 20 Czech companies operating in the region, which have invested $11.9 million in the region’s economy. The Czech Republic ranks 4th among exporters from Dnipropetrovsk region and 5th in imports of goods among EU countries.
“During the meeting, the air raid alert started, so we continued in the shelter. We had a very sincere and warm conversation. Since the outbreak of a full-scale war in Ukraine, the Czech Republic has been particularly helpful to Dnipropetrovsk Region as the most industrially developed region. I am grateful to the Czech Republic for supporting Ukraine and our region in this difficult time! This is humanitarian, military and medical aid for our people and the country’s defenders,” Mykola Lukashuk said.
The Czech side was also presented with the digital resources of the Dnipropetrovsk Investment Agency DIA, which provides international partners with access to recovery projects on the Investment Portal of Dnipropetrovsk Region.
“We are interested in further cooperation with Dnipropetrovsk Region and will support it as long as it is needed,” Radek Pech said.
The region’s cooperation with the Czech Republic will deepen. During the meeting, the parties agreed to jointly prepare for a series of events initiated by the Czech side. These include an international Czech-Ukrainian business forum scheduled for 14 February in Dnipro (registration via the link) and 15 February in Kryvyi Rih, with the participation of Tomáš Kopeční, Government Commissioner for Reconstruction of Ukraine, and Czech companies. In addition, a medical forum will be held in March, a conference on technical education and engineering in May, and a formative conference on water supply and sewerage in June.
A tight schedule of events, active interaction, and the identification of priority projects indicate the intensification of cooperation between the Czech Republic and Dnipropetrovsk region. The DIA will actively promote the involvement of both local communities and the regional business community in this process.
