HEADS UP
Soul-searching diplomat
Czech Republic Libor Secka
L
ibor Secka, the Czech Ambassador to London, has a
serious case of wanderlust. He attributes this to growing up in Znojmo, a “border city” where Vienna was
closer than Prague and many cultures passed through the
South Moravian gateway.
Ambassador dreamt of being a sailor but instead he
settled for a career in diplomacy, heading to Moscow’s
MGIMO to study international economic relations at the
dawn of the Gorbachev era. “Paradoxically, in Moscow at
that time the winds of freedom felt stronger than in my
country,” reflects the Ambassador.
Returning to the European department in Prague, soon
the winds of change swept through Czechoslovakia, ending in the Velvet Revolution and then the Velvet Divorce.
“Everything changed at the foreign ministry,” recalls
Secka. Prague set a course for the Euro-Atlantic organisations and so EU affairs have been a recurring theme in
his career. He was in the Czech Republic’s delegation to
negotiate accession (1997-99), later becoming Ambassador to the European Union from 2000-2002 and finally
Director General of the European Section at the Ministry.
He also satisfied his wanderlust, criss-crossing the globe
with postings in Spain (1990-05), and then as Ambassador to Mexico (1999-2000), Italy and Malta (2003-06) and
China (2009-15). In each, he took pleasure in getting to
understand cultures different to his own. “I like to find
the soul of a new place,” he smiles.
Now in London, the Ambassador is keen to add value
to the long-standing Czech-British ties that stretch back
to Anne of Bohemia who won the heart of Richard II and
his kingdom.
Fast-forward 600 years to 1915 when Britain gave refuge to the Czechoslovak founding father Tomas Masaryk
and supported his aspirations for an independent state.
Czech pilots fought alongside the RAF in WWII and the
British opened their homes to the Jewish child refugees
who came over on the Kindertransport. In 1968, Britain
was a supporter of the short-lived Prague Spring and later
encouraged the Czech Republic’s accession to the EU.
“We have a lot of history and a lot of symbols but I would
like to use them to shift relations from the past to the present and future,” says Secka.
Major milestones
The Ambassador has ambitious plans for 2018, using the
milestones of the Czech centenary and the 50th anniversary of the Prague Spring to create a programme of events
that will cast this relationship in a contemporary light –
quite literally.
The anniversaries will coincide with the reopening of
the Czech Embassy, which is itself celebrating its 50th
birthday in 1968. The Ambassador plans to stage a lightshow on the building’s façade.
“We have to use these moments as an opportunity and
to present the Czech Republic as a modern and interesting partner for the UK,” says Secka.
Partnerships in education, science and technology are
of particular interest. Czech institutions produce groundbreaking research in a number of areas such as biotech,
nano-technology and renewable technology. “I want to
find British partners to create industrial or commercial
applications for this research,” explains the Ambassador.
The two countries also have strong healthcare sectors,
with the Czech Republic fast becoming a destination for
so-called ‘health tourism’.
There is also scope for cooperation in energy. Both
countries use nuclear energy and both are seeking to
build new nuclear plants with the help of Chinese investors, an area where the Ambassador’s Chinese experience
will prove helpful.
Secka also wants to use the centenary celebrations as
a focal point for Czech culture – from literature, to art,
film, architecture and of course music, where the Czech
Philharmonic Orchestra is a popular fixture in London’s
concert halls.
Strengthening people-to-people ties is another priority
for the Ambassador. Prague is already popular destination
for Brits but he wants to encourage them further afield to
places like his hometown with its catacombs, castles and
excellent wine. He also wants to find more British cities
to twin with Czech cities.
The Czech diaspora in the UK – from footballers to writers, policemen and legendary bartenders – are all unofficial ambassadors, says Secka, and form a dynamic cultural
bridge between two nations. Since accession this community has swelled to around 100,000 making the Ambassador
something of a ‘mayor’ of a large, dispersed Czech ‘town’.
Having the UK
in the EU is also
important for
the balance of
power
Balance of power
But the newcomers in this community are feeling “uncertainty” over their future status in Britain with the upcoming UK referendum on EU membership, says Secka is
monitoring the debate closely.
From the Czech perspective the EU has brought peace
and stability to the European continent. “We are not protected by the sea – on the one side we are close to Germany
and on the other we are close to Russia and we have many
times been in the centre of battlefield.”
And the UK is important to that stability, he adds: “Having
the UK in the EU is also important for the balance of power.”
But eager to understand Britain’s ambivalence to
Europe, the Ambassador has invited arch eurosceptics to
his residence for a lively lunch. It’s all part finding the
elusive “British soul”, he says, a quest which he hopes
will take him to pubs, football terraces, footpaths and golf
courses across Britain.
Embassy Editor Elizabeth
Stewart interviewed the
Czech Ambassador on 6 April
Issue 65 • www.embassymagazine.com • n e t w o r k i n g
f o r d i p l o m at s
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