It was officially announced that Czech Prime Minister Peter Fiala’s visit to Nigeria was unexpectedly canceled on Monday because the hotel cannot accommodate him.
“The Nigerian government has informed us that it is unable to provide a suitable reception and program for Peter Fiala, including a business forum. Accordingly, we have decided to cancel the visit,” Czech government spokesman Vaclav Smolka told Czech reporters in Nairobi, Kenya.
“According to diplomatic sources, the Nigerian move may be linked to the Czech Republic’s position in support of Israel at the United Nations,” CTK news agency wrote regarding the scheduled visit.
The Czech Prime Minister left for Africa today, Friday, at the head of a large trade delegation. After visiting Ethiopia, they will hold talks in Kenya. The next stop was Nigeria on Tuesday and Wednesday. Peter Fiala later visited Ghana and Ivory Coast.
The Czech Prime Minister’s African tour has primarily economic and commercial goals. On the political level, he wants to discuss the problem of illegal immigration to Europe with his African partners.
“Africa also has a key position in solving the problem of illegal immigration that afflicts Europe,” Fiala told reporters at Prague airport before his departure.
According to Peter Fiala, in light of the current complex international situation, the Czech Republic should try to build good relations with countries in different regions of the world outside Europe. “Africa has enormous economic potential. We must put an end to the opinion that this part of the world is far from us and uninteresting to us.”
The European Union must also engage with African countries as important partners. The Prime Minister noted, “We have neglected these relations in recent years, and our approach has not been effective enough.”
“The resulting vacuum was quickly filled by Russia and China, which European countries are now also seeing and trying to address this situation,” Peter Fiala added.
According to the Prime Minister, the development of Czech-African cooperation is also important for Prague from the point of view of national security, because it will allow the Czech Republic to access new sources of energy and raw materials.
