Fact Sheet: Czech Prime Minister Topolanek’s Visit to the U.S.: A Growing Partnership

President George W. Bush and Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, Mirek Topolanek, during their meeting Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2008

February 28, 2008

Prime Minister Topolanek’s visit to the U.S. deepened the close ties enjoyed by the United States and the Czech Republic and provided an opportunity to further cooperation in key areas of mutual interest.

Visa Waiver Program (VWP)

• The Czech Republic is well on its way toward qualifying for visa free travel to the United States.
• The Czech Republic and the U.S. signed a memorandum of understanding on enhanced security measures that demonstrates measurable progress on requirements for entry into the Visa Waiver Program. (more)
   

Ballistic Missile Defense

• The governments of the Czech Republic and the United States have spent the last year discussing cooperation in the area of missile defense – a cooperation that enhances European as well as U.S. security and strengthens NATO.
• Our cooperation on missile defense complements other missile defense work in NATO member states and NATO Headquarters.  Such efforts will significantly improve the objectives of the Alliance to counter the growing threat from ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction.  
• Negotiations between the U.S. and the Czech Republic on a missile defense basing agreement are well advanced.  With the completion of the agreement, the Czech Republic will become a key ally in the U.S. global missile defense system along with the United Kingdom, Denmark, Japan, and we hope in the near future, Poland.
• The United States and Czech Republic plan to expand bilateral cooperation in research and development related to missile defense through a new relationship between the Czech scientific, academic and technical communities and the U.S. Missile Defense Agency and the negotiation of a framework agreement to facilitate government-to-government and industry-to-industry missile defense-related cooperation similar to the agreements signed with, for example, the United Kingdom, Japan, Australia, Denmark, and Italy. (more) 

Strategic Dialogue

• The United States and Czech Republic see great potential for further bilateral cooperation in security and foreign policy, and plan to establish a Strategic Dialogue.
• The Strategic Dialogue symbolizes the shared democratic values of our two countries.
• The Strategic Dialogue seeks to address a broad range of issues including: cooperation on mutual defense, counter-terrorism, preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, energy security and democracy promotion.