Dear colleagues,

Relations between Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean have regained momentum in recent years.

We meet regularly. We have a broad agenda. And today, we have another roadmap for the next two years in front of us.

So I believe the question is no longer what else we should add to our partnership.

The question is what we can actually deliver.

For the Czech Republic, part of the answer is diversification.

We want more trading partners, more economic opportunities, more resilient supply chains, and more opportunities for our companies and technologies.

And I believe many countries in Latin America and the Caribbean share this interest.

Because diversification should not mean replacing one dependency with another.

It should mean having more options - and greater freedom of choice.

This is precisely why closer ties between Europe and Latin America make so much practical sense today. We will not have the same views on every international issue. Nor do we have to.

A mature partnership can accommodate differences while delivering results where our interests coincide.

And there is no shortage of areas where they do.

Can we finally put into practice the trade agreements we have spent years negotiating?

The Czech Republic is ready. We were among the first EU countries to ratify the modernised agreement with Chile, and we support the agreements with Mercosur and Mexico.

Can we cooperate more effectively against drug trafficking, money laundering and organised crime?

Can we work together on energy, infrastructure and secure supply chains, including critical raw materials?

And can we create more opportunities for investment, technology and innovation between our regions?

These, in my view, are the questions by which we should measure the success of our partnership.

Not by the number of meetings. Not by the number of declarations. But by results.

The EU-CELAC relationship already has political weight.

Now let us give it even greater practical weight.

Thank you.