Another “Glass of Wine” at the Černín Palace brings Czech business together with diplomats heading for Ethiopia, India and other key destinations – while Petr Kaván takes over the Czech Embassy in Iraq

Only one day after the presentation of newly departing Czech ambassadors for Cairo, Lima and the Czech Permanent Delegation to the OECD in Paris, the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs continued its traditional series of číše vína – “glass of wine” – meetings at Prague’s historic Černín Palace.

On 3 September 2026, the Ministry’s Department of Economic and Science Diplomacy invited representatives of Czech companies to meet diplomats responsible for Ethiopia, India and Taiwan shortly before the next stage of their foreign assignments.

Once again, the ambassadors and senior representatives were introduced by Deputy Foreign Minister Marie Chatardová, one of the most experienced figures in Czech diplomacy.

The format has become a useful tradition at the Ministry. It is ceremonial, but it is primarily practical. Before Czech ambassadors leave Prague, they have an opportunity to meet entrepreneurs, exporters and representatives of Czech industry whose interests they may soon be supporting thousands of kilometres away.

For a strongly export-oriented country such as the Czech Republic, this connection between diplomacy and business is particularly important. An ambassador today is expected not only to represent the country politically, but also to understand markets, establish contacts, open doors and support Czech companies seeking opportunities abroad.

The destinations represented on 3 September could hardly have been more different: the diplomatic capital of Africa, one of the great powers of Asia and one of the world’s most sophisticated technology economies.

At the same time, another particularly important Czech diplomatic appointment deserves attention: Petr Kaván, one of the Czech Foreign Ministry’s highly experienced diplomats with a long background in relations with the United States and the Americas, has taken over the Czech Embassy in Baghdad. The Foreign Ministry now officially lists Kaván as head of mission in Iraq. Tschechisches Außenministerium

Marie Chatardová – experience introducing experience

The presentation was once again led by Marie Chatardová, whose own career gives particular weight to such occasions.

Chatardová has represented the Czech Republic at some of its most important missions abroad and has extensive experience in both bilateral and multilateral diplomacy. Her role at these receptions is therefore more than ceremonial.

She represents the link between headquarters in Prague and the worldwide Czech diplomatic network.

The číše vína format also reflects an increasingly important principle in Czech foreign policy: diplomacy and economic interests can no longer be separated.

Diplomats need to know which Czech companies are interested in particular markets. Companies, in turn, benefit enormously from knowing who will represent their country on the ground.

Contacts made over a glass of wine at the Černín Palace can later become useful working relationships in Addis Ababa, New Delhi or elsewhere.

Jan Rouček – heading for one of Africa’s diplomatic capitals

The Czech Republic’s new Ambassador to Ethiopia is Jan Rouček.

The Foreign Ministry announced his appointment together with a wider group of new ambassadors in August 2026. Tschechisches Außenministerium

Rouček has a background that combines law, state administration and senior management. Before his appointment to Addis Ababa, he held senior responsibilities within the Czech Foreign Ministry and elsewhere in the public sector.

His new assignment is particularly important because Addis Ababa is much more than the capital of Ethiopia.

It is also the headquarters of the African Union and one of the most important diplomatic centres on the African continent.

The Czech Embassy in Addis Ababa covers not only Ethiopia but also Djibouti, South Sudan, Somalia, the Comoros and the Seychelles. Tschechisches Außenministerium

That gives the mission a wide regional responsibility.

Rouček had already begun the formal accreditation process before the Prague meeting. On 11 August 2026 he presented copies of his credentials to the Ethiopian Foreign Ministry. During the accompanying talks, both sides emphasised the long-standing relationship between Czechia and Ethiopia and identified trade, development cooperation, agriculture, healthcare and education as important areas for further cooperation. Tschechisches Außenministerium

The business dimension of the posting is already becoming visible.

Only weeks after his arrival, Rouček was discussing potential cooperation with Ethiopian Airlines, including possible future air links between Addis Ababa and Prague, aircraft maintenance, aviation training and other commercial opportunities involving Czech partners. Tschechisches Außenministerium

That is almost a textbook example of what modern economic diplomacy is supposed to achieve.

Ethiopia – an old relationship with new opportunities

Czech-Ethiopian relations have a long tradition.

Today, the most promising fields of cooperation include agriculture, agricultural machinery, water management, healthcare, aviation, education and industrial technology.

For Czech companies, Ethiopia is both a large developing market and a gateway to the broader region.

Agriculture remains particularly important. Czech companies and the embassy are already involved in discussions on mechanisation and agricultural technology, areas where Czech industry has considerable experience. Tschechisches Außenministerium

But Addis Ababa is also important politically.

An ambassador there works simultaneously in bilateral diplomacy, African regional diplomacy and multilateral diplomacy.

It is therefore a posting that requires considerable versatility.

Marek Libřický – one of Czechia’s strongest Asia appointments

The appointment of Marek Libřický as Czech Ambassador to India is particularly noteworthy.

Libřický belongs to the most experienced generation of Czech professional diplomats.

Born in Hradec Králové in 1970, he studied international trade as well as international politics and diplomacy at the Prague University of Economics and Business and later completed the Foreign Ministry’s Diplomatic Academy. Tschechisches Außenministerium

His career has given him unusually broad experience in Asia, Africa and multilateral diplomacy.

He served as Czech Ambassador in Addis Ababa from 2009 to 2014, with accreditation to a large number of African countries. At the same time, he represented the Czech Republic at the African Union and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa. Tschechisches Außenministerium

He later headed the Foreign Ministry’s Asia and Pacific Department and from 2017 to 2022 served as Czech Ambassador to Thailand and Laos, with accreditation to Cambodia for part of that period. Tschechisches Außenministerium

He also represented Czech interests in important EU-Asia and EU-ASEAN structures.

The decision to send a diplomat with such broad experience to New Delhi is a clear indication of how seriously Prague now regards its relationship with India.

India – a relationship of growing strategic importance

India is no longer simply a large emerging market.

It is one of the central actors of twenty-first-century international politics.

It is the world’s most populous country, one of its largest economies, a nuclear power, a major military actor and an increasingly influential player in the Indo-Pacific.

For the Czech Republic, India offers opportunities in engineering, defence, aerospace, transport, energy, healthcare, industrial technology and research.

The relationship also has a political dimension.

India maintains an independent foreign policy and plays an important role in the G20, BRICS and the wider Indo-Pacific balance.

That makes New Delhi one of the more demanding ambassadorial postings.

A successful ambassador there needs not only political judgement, but also an understanding of economic diplomacy and a deep knowledge of Asia.

Marek Libřický brings precisely that combination.

His appointment can therefore be regarded as one of the strongest and most logical personnel decisions in the current Czech diplomatic rotation.

Taiwan – technology, innovation and economic diplomacy

The third territory mentioned in the invitation was Taiwan.

Here, the diplomatic structure is different.

The Czech Republic does not maintain formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan and therefore does not operate an embassy there in the conventional sense. Czech interests are represented by the Czech Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei.

This distinction is important, but it does not diminish the practical importance of the relationship.

Taiwan is one of the world’s leading centres of advanced technology, particularly in semiconductors, electronics, precision manufacturing and innovation.

For Czechia, cooperation with Taiwan has grown increasingly important in research, universities, healthcare technology, investment and high-tech industry.

This makes the Czech representation in Taipei particularly relevant for Czech companies seeking access to sophisticated Asian supply chains.

The inclusion of Taiwan in the 3 September business-diplomacy meeting therefore made perfect sense.

It demonstrated that Czech foreign policy increasingly combines traditional diplomacy with technology policy and strategic economic interests.

Petr Kaván – an exceptional Czech diplomat heads to Baghdad

Although Iraq was not listed among the three territories on the original invitation, one of the most interesting appointments of this diplomatic rotation deserves particular attention.

Petr Kaván has taken over as Czech Ambassador in Baghdad.

His appointment is especially significant because of the breadth and depth of his previous diplomatic career.

Kaván joined the Czech Foreign Ministry in the 1990s and has spent a large part of his professional life dealing with the Americas.

An early posting already took him to Havana, where he served from 1999 to 2003 as Political Secretary and Deputy Head of Mission.

From 2003 to 2006, he worked in Prague as the Foreign Ministry’s U.S. Desk Officer. He subsequently returned to the United States, serving at the Czech Embassy in Washington as an economic diplomat. Tschechisches Außenministerium

This combination of political and economic work is characteristic of his career.

He later became Deputy Director of the Foreign Ministry’s Americas Department, dealing with a region extending from North America to Latin America and the Caribbean. Tschechisches Außenministerium

For years he was therefore closely involved in Czech relations with the United States, one of the country’s most important strategic partners.

From Washington to Havana

Kaván’s next major appointment demonstrated the versatility required of a senior diplomat.

In 2020 he became Czech Ambassador to Cuba, one of the more politically sensitive Czech postings in the Western Hemisphere.

The Ministry’s diplomatic records confirm that he served as ambassador in Havana until late 2024. Tschechisches Außenministerium

The Havana posting was demanding.

Czech-Cuban relations carry a complicated historical and political legacy, while the ambassador also had to balance political diplomacy with economic interests and broader regional responsibilities.

Kaván was additionally accredited to countries including the Bahamas. In 2022 he presented his credentials in Nassau and held meetings with the Governor-General, Prime Minister and Foreign Minister. Tschechisches Außenministerium

During another official visit to the Bahamas, he took part in diplomatic discussions alongside representatives of the United States, Britain, China, Japan and the European Union. Tschechisches Außenministerium

Such experience matters.

It shows that Kaván is not a diplomat limited to one narrow field.

He understands bilateral politics, economic diplomacy, regional diplomacy and the management of complex international relationships.

Why Baghdad matters

The move from the Americas to Iraq may look like a dramatic geographical shift.

Professionally, however, it makes sense.

Baghdad is a posting that requires exactly the qualities Kaván has demonstrated throughout his career.

Iraq sits at the intersection of some of the most complicated strategic questions in the Middle East: regional security, energy, Iran’s influence, relations with the United States, counter-terrorism, reconstruction and economic development.

For Czechia, there is also a long economic tradition.

Czechoslovak and later Czech companies have historically enjoyed a good reputation in Iraq, particularly in engineering, aviation, defence and industrial equipment.

The Czech Republic also maintains diplomatic and consular structures in both Baghdad and Erbil, underlining the importance and complexity of the country.

An ambassador in Baghdad needs political judgement.

He needs resilience.

He needs experience in dealing with governments.

He needs an understanding of security.

And he needs to know how to support business.

Petr Kaván has spent much of his diplomatic career developing precisely those skills.

For that reason, his appointment to Iraq can be considered one of the particularly strong choices in the current Czech diplomatic rotation.

Experienced people for difficult jobs

Taken together, the appointments presented around the 3 September gathering tell an interesting story about Czech diplomacy.

In India, Prague is sending Marek Libřický, a diplomat with deep experience in Asia and Africa.

In Ethiopia, Jan Rouček is taking responsibility for one of the most important diplomatic hubs in Africa.

In Taiwan, Czech representation remains closely connected with technology, research and strategic economic cooperation.

And in Iraq, Petr Kaván brings decades of experience from Washington, Havana and the Foreign Ministry’s Americas structures to one of the Middle East’s most demanding postings.

These are not ceremonial assignments.

They are posts where the quality of an ambassador can make a real difference.

A glass of wine – and a serious purpose

That is also why the číše vína tradition at the Czech Foreign Ministry deserves more attention than its informal name might suggest.

Yes, there is a glass of wine.

There are introductions and conversations.

But behind the relaxed atmosphere lies a very serious purpose.

A Czech entrepreneur can meet a future ambassador before needing assistance abroad.

An ambassador can learn which companies are considering entering a particular market.

Contacts are exchanged.

Potential projects are discussed.

And personal relationships begin before the diplomat even leaves Prague.

For an export-oriented country, that can be immensely valuable.

Foreign policy today is not conducted only through communiqués and summit meetings.

It is also conducted through companies, technology, investment, universities, research and personal networks.

The meeting at the Černín Palace on 3 September once again demonstrated this broader understanding of diplomacy.

From Addis Ababa to New Delhi and Baghdad, experienced Czech representatives are taking up strategically important assignments.

And behind each of them stands the same task:

to represent the Czech Republic professionally, strengthen its international relationships and open doors for Czech interests abroad.