2008 Press releases

Ambassador Graber Meets Regional Governors

Prague, March 21, 2008

U.S. Ambassador Richard W. Graber continues in the tradition of meeting with representatives of regional self-governments.  During a working luncheon today with the seven governors and other regional representatives, he welcomed the opportunity to discuss politics and economics at the regional level.

The Ambassador was interested in the governors’ views on the relationship between national and regional politics and its influence on economic development of the regions.  Against the backdrop of the Czech regional elections and the U.S. presidential campaign, they also discussed pre-election environments in both countries. Regarding Czech-American relations, they talked about U.S. missile defense and discussed locating of radar in Brdy. During the luncheon, they also discussed the U.S. Visa Waiver Program and the proposed electronic travel authorization.

Southern Bohemian Governor Jan Zahradnik noted: “It was a great opportunity to share information about the important issues we deal with. We also recognize the Ambassador’s engagement in the visa issue for the Czech Republic. We assured him that governors support locating the U.S. radar in the Czech Republic.”

Ambassador Graber said: “It is always an honor to sit down with regional governors and learn about issues in the regions. I also appreciated their perspectives on how to address issues between our two countries.”