"I am convinced that countries like ours should have a purposeful foreign policy. And its integral part is not only economic diplomacy and the protection of one’s own interests, but also the struggle for the moral values that our society considers important: the protection of human rights, strengthening democracy, the independence of journalists," Petricek said.
At the same time, Petricek said he was convinced that his opinion did not contradict the policies pursued by President Milos Zeman and Prime Minister Andrej Babis, who, when meeting with government officials of other countries, prefer not to focus explicitly on such issues as human rights or strengthening democracy.
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The minister intends to pursue such policy not only in relation to the countries of Eastern Europe, the states of the Caucasus, as well as Cuba and Myanmar, but also to expand it to African countries.
At the same time, he noted that he saw the cause-and-effect relationship between human rights violations in these countries and the growth of illegal migration to Europe.
Petricek, 37, was appointed to the post of foreign minister on October 16.