The Czech Republic has opened an embassy in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, appointing Radek Matula as its ambassador to the former Soviet republic. There have been few new Czech embassies opened recently, with Prague preferring to close embassies instead in a bid to economize.
However, Azerbaijan is important for the Czech Republic due to the planned construction of the Nabucco gas pipeline, which should provide Europe with gas independence from Russia. Azerbaijan is expected to be the main supplier of gas for the project.
Funds for the new embassy will be provided by the closure of the Czech embassy in Angola and a consulate in Canada’s Montreal, reports ptel.cz.
04.03.2010
