Canada-Czechia relations
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Bilateral relations
Canada and Czechia have a friendly and positive bilateral relationship, strengthened by our shared values and commitments as NATO allies. The warm welcome offered by Canada to Czechoslovak political refugees in 1948 and 1968, steadfast support for dissidents throughout the Communist period, and support by Canada in the early 1990s, when Czechia was quickly modernizing, also strengthened the bilateral relationship. Canadian and Czech troops work and train side-by-side in the Canada-led NATO enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) battlegroup in Latvia.
Canada received multiple waves of Czechoslovak immigration before and after the two World Wars. There are now more than 100,000 Canadians with some Czech heritage.
Canada and Czechia regularly cooperate in multilateral organizations, based on common values and approaches on issues such as support for human rights and democracy. Both countries are also members of the Media Freedom Coalition. Czechia has endorsed the Canada-led Declaration Against Arbitrary Detention in State-to-State Relations.
Bilateral agreements
Canada and Czechia have agreements in respect to foreign investment protection, youth mobility, social security, mutual assistance on criminal matters and facilitation of legal proceedings, cooperation on the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, and the avoidance of double taxation.
Trade relations
Merchandise exports to Czechia were $238.2 million in 2022, up 4.3% from 2021. Exports were led by aircraft & parts which accounted for 18.4% of exports to Czechia. Imports from Czechia were $973.4 million in 2022, up 14.2% from 2021. Imports were led by industrial machinery and equipment which accounted for 24.6% of imports from Czechia.
In 2022, the Canadian direct investment position in Czechia was $250 million, up from $180.0 million in 2021. The direct investment position from Czechia in Canada was $112 million.
In 2020, Multinational Enterprises (MNEs) from Czechia employed 331 people through their affiliates in Canada, an increase of 2.8% from the previous year. In 2020, Canadian MNEs employed 6,512 people through their affiliates in Czechia, a decrease of 28% from the previous year; sales were $2.1 billion, down 14%. (Source: Statistics Canada).
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Operations
Security and defence cooperation
Canada was one of the first countries to support Czechia’s accession to NATO in 1999, which led to closer defence cooperation, including through joint participation in the NATO International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) mission in Afghanistan.
Today, in support of NATO defence and deterrence operations, Czechia deploys an engineering support unit along with support and headquarter personnel to the Canadian-led NATO battlegroup in Latvia.
Partnerships and organizations
To develop effective responses to today’s most pressing global challenges, Canada and Czechia work closely in multilateral fora, such as:
- European Union
- La Francophonie
- International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)
- International Criminal Court (ICC)
- North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
- Open Government Partnership (OGP)
- Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
- Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)
- The Pacific Alliance
- United Nations (UN)
- United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
- World Trade Organization (WTO)
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