Israeli-Czech Forum: Facing future challenges together

The eighth annual Israeli-Czech Forum has been organized again this autumn. Due to the pandemic, it will be held as an extraordinary video-conference on December 3.

Tomáš Petříček, Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs  (photo credit: MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE CZECH REPUBLIC)
Tomáš Petříček, Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs
(photo credit: MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE CZECH REPUBLIC)
Over the past eight years, the Israeli-Czech Forum has established itself as a beneficial platform for the exchange of expert opinions. It transcends the framework of the daily policy agenda through assessing questions and issues from a perspective, which exceeds the conventional schemes of thinking about Europe and the Middle East.
According to Minister of Foreign Affairs Tomáš Petříček: “The Czech-Israeli Forum contributes fundamentally to the analysis and prediction of international policy developments. As such, it has become an indispensable element of the strategic partnership between the Czech Republic and the State of Israel, which is based on the traditional bond between our nations and is also anchored in the Czech Foreign Policy Concept.” 
In recent years, besides discussing historical foundations and exploring the potential to develop further collaboration between Czechs and Israelis, the Forum participants have focused on bilateral, regional, and multilateral issues shaping the future. These include, for example, the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the rule of law, the crucial role of civil society, and global climate change.   
This year, the Forum has offered an extraordinary opportunity to assess visions of the post-pandemic world and new ways towards a more stable and prosperous Middle East due to the Abraham Accords, which Israel signed with the UAE and with Bahrain. As a member state of the European Union and given its extensive network of diplomatic missions in Arab countries, Czechia stands ready to further support the normalization of Israel´s position within the region.
This article was written in cooperation with Donath Business & Media s.r.o.