A delegation led by Minister Lubomír Metnar took a three-day working visit to Israel on July 20 – 22.
Since the creation of the State of Israel in 1948, Czechoslovakia and now the Czech Republic has had a good name there, as was confirmed in a meeting with Defense Minister Benjamin Gantz in Tel Aviv.
“Our countries are tied by long-standing, strong relations. We talked about the security situation in the Middle East and elsewhere around the world, as well as our defense and industrial cooperation. We have multiple common projects going on and there is definitely potential for more in the future,” Minister Metnar said.
“I was honored to host the Czech Minister. We discussed the excellent defense cooperation and warm relations between our countries. We also discussed the need to maintain regional stability in the face of rising challenges and Iranian aggression in particular,” Benjamin Gantz summed up.
MADR deliveries on plan, SHORAD project on track
Meetings with the Director of the International Defense Cooperation Agency of the Israeli MoD (SIBAT) General (Res.) Yair Kulas and with representatives of local defense industries took place in a similar vein.
The industrial part of the program was primarily attended by Deputy Minister for Armaments and Acquisition Lubor Koudelka and his delegation.
“The MADR project is going according to plan as per the executed contract. This year we will get the first radar delivered and next year, the other seven. We are also on the best track to take the SHORAD project, the procurement of the Spyder air defense missile system, to a successful end within the next few weeks,” Lubomír Metnar said.
“We went to see Elta, the manufacturer of the multi mission radars. We could see with our own eyes that one unit is completely finished and undergoing tests, and the other three are being finalized by the producer,” Deputy Minister Koudelka elaborated.
Visit to the Golan Heights
On the second day of their stay in Israel, Minister and the delegation visited the border with Syria. Golan Heights have been a disputed territory for a long time now, which is why since 1974 UNDOF, a UN observer mission, is monitoring the situation there.
Four members of the Czech Armed Forces are currently taking part in the mission. Since 2015 when the Czech Republic joined UNDOF, 21 Czech service personnel have served tours there.
Vigil at Military Cemetery and visit of Jerusalem
The last day of their stay in Israel, the Czech delegation honored the memory of seven Czechoslovak service members buried at the British Military Cemetery in Ramla.
Minister Metnar together with the Czech Ambassador to Israel Martin Stropnický also laid a wreath at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem.
- More photos HERE