Industry and Trade Minister Martin Kocourek (Civic Democrats, ODS), who recently led a trade delegation to two Russian regions, says in an interview with the business daily Hospodářské noviny that it is far better to establish business relations with individual Russian regions directly rather than trying to go through Moscow.
He also says the time is not right for Russian state-controlled gas giant Gazprom to buy into top Czech oil refiner Česká rafinerská. “It’s necessary to wait for clear signals. ... Then we would have to assess [the acquisition] from all the potential aspects. I think that the entrance of a Russian investor now would not be advantageous,” said Kocourek, who led a delegation of some 70 businessmen and journalists to the Russian Republic of Tatarstan and the Sverdlovsk region.
No mention of Atomstrojexport
Kocourek also said he was surprised that nobody mentioned the bid by Russian nuclear engineering enterprise Atomstrojexport to build two new reactor blocks at the Czech nuclear power plant in South Bohemia: “Temelín wasn’t mentioned directly. A question was asked about our nuclear program and about our energy mix for the future. Nevertheless, I was surprised that Atomstrojexport was not mentioned in this context,” Kocourek said. ‘Both countries are not only very close to each other in technological terms, but also in mentality.’
Speaking about Czech-Russian trade relations more generally, Kocourek said that the two countries have much to build on: “I think that we have to continue to get over the period of mistrust that we’re in which is caused by certain prejudices. Despite this, I consider we have a lot to build on. Both countries are not only very close to each other in technological terms, but also in mentality.”
Kocourek also told HN he thinks it’s much better for Czech business to establish business and trade ties with the Russian regions directly. “In my view it’s much better to go to the regions and attempt to open doors on an individual basis than trying to do so in Moscow, where somewhat different global geopolitical issues are decided rather than issues relating to establishment of trade contacts,” Kocourek said.
In 2010, Russia was the Czech Republic’s eighth-largest trading partner with a total turnover of $10.3 billion, almost a third more than in 2009. Czech exports to Russia were worth $3.5 billion in 2010, up 35 percent on the previous year, while Russian exports to the Czech Republic—predominantly mineral fuels—were worth $6.8 billion, up 26 percent n the year.
