Guernsey remains a "stable partner" for EU - Czech Ambassador

Wednesday 17 July 2019

The Czech Ambassador to the UK has been meeting local politicians and business leaders to discuss future collaboration between Guernsey and the Czech Republic.

His Excellency Mr Libor Sečka spoke with the Chamber of Commerce this week and was even offered the opportunity of firing the iconic noonday gun at Castle Cornet.

"I'm very impressed by the many things I saw here and the people I met," he said. "We came here with some goals. The first was to speak about the financial cooperation to see how the system works here and we got a lot of very good, very convincing answers.

"We spoke with the Chamber about the enhancement to co-operation and defined the directions. I was pleasantly surprised because they think about the business, but they also think about the broader concept of the society life. They think about the culture, about art, about history."

Pictured: The Czech Ambassador firing the noonday gun.

"We discussed the possibilities of cooperating in cultural exchange for example. I always said the Czech Republic is a very strong country in culture. We have very good music - traditional and contemporary - so Castle Cornet is a convenient place for a small concert which we will think about. We have also been discussing the possibilities of the exchange of fine artists like sculptors or painters. There was also discussion about academic cooperation."

The country has worked with the Bailiwick before, and one Czech professor is currently commuting between Sark and the Charles University in Prague to research the island's native language. Whilst in Sark he is also teaching the local children at the island school. His Excellency Mr Sečka hopes to use this as a base for further collaboration.

It was a pleasure to welcome His Excellency Libor Sečka,@libor_secka Ambassador for the #Czech Republic to the Court of St James's, to Government House, as part of his visit to #Guernsey this week. We wish His Excellency an enjoyable and productive time in the Bailiwick. pic.twitter.com/K1lOeM4zmp

— Gov House Guernsey (@GvHouseGuernsey) July 16, 2019

Although the Ambassador met a small number of people with connections to the Czech Republic during his time in Guernsey, it is not clear exactly how many Czech people are living in the island.

"From our point of view there is some element of Czech culture and language, and those people are working hard to make the society in Guernsey even more prosperous, so I am happy about that," he said.

Pictured: His Excellency Mr Sečka with Dr Jason Monaghan and the Castle Cornet gunmen.

His Excellency Mr Sečka does not appear worried about the local Czech population following Brexit though: "For the moment as I see the situation here, Guernsey is not directly involved. It's on the margin of the storm.

"I really appreciated the will and decisiveness of the political leaders to enhance the cooperation even more with European countries and members of the European Union. To be transparent, to be forthcoming and to follow what's happening there. [Guernsey] should be a stable partner for the European Union and this was confirmed to me."