GRADE

MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA
53
the Czech Republic is training Iraqi helicopter pilots and is considering training
medical personnel and police officers.
Within the European Union, Czech diplomacy stressed the need to find
a political solution to the war in Syria, which should be based on negotiations
between the Assad regime and the opposition according to the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs. Here the Czech position is difficult to read. On the one hand, according
to Minister of Foreign Affairs Zaorálek, President Assad cannot represent the
ture of Syria. On the other, practical matters such as negotiations on economic
relations with Damascus by Depu Tlapa seem to indicate a different direction
of Czech policy, and tend to reinforce the legitimacy of the established regime.
Humanitarian assistance also went to war-torn countries last year. The
Czech Republic provided nds for food and medical assistance and the education
of regees in Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey. Prime Minister Sobotka
promised a rther increase in nds for this year. Nevertheless, assistance to
devastated Middle Eastern countries is accompanied by a lack of willingness to
accept regees directly in the Czech Republic, or to treat them in accordance with
international agreements in our territory. For example, the way these people have
been held in Czech detention centers is problematic from a human rights and
moral perspective, also evident from UN criticism. However, certain isolated acts
should be appreciated, such as the granting of universi scholarships and medical
treatment of Syrian children, or the acceptance of a few dozen Iraqi Christians.
Relations with Other Important Countries in the Middle East
Activity
B
Determination
B
Impact B–
Normative aspect
C
Final mark
B