Speech of the Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek at the Business Forum in Hanoi, Vietnam 21. 3. 2008

Business is based on people. The Vietnamese community in the Czech Republic is large, as well as the community of the Vietnamese who after finishing their studies returned home and are holding important posts. The Vietnamese in the Czech Republic work as employees, students or businessmen. The name Baťa was known in Vietnam as early as before the World Was Second, as well as number of our products of engineering industry. We have always been able to penetrate on markets through favourable ration price/capacity. And it is still true. The group of three words Czech Republic/ Vietnam/business means tradition/presence/future. Epochs have been changing, regimes have been changing, but Czech products in Vietnam have always maintained good reputation. And I believe they will maintain good reputation in future. In 2007 our trade exchange reached 253 million USD (annual increase by 60,6%), Czech exports reached 65,9 million USD (annual increase by 132%) and Vietnamese exports 187,1 million USD (annual increase by 44,9%). Czech firms are interested, apart from energy industry, in other areas, for example in the sector of financial services. A significant Czech financial group the PPF, which opened its office in Ho Chi Minh in 2006, is planning investments in Vietnam and expects it will be granted licence soon. We are ready to share our experience with market economy reform. Growing Vietnamese economy will need new technologies and new equipment - where else to obtain them, than from old good suppliers. We will deliver machinery, equipment, manufacturing plants and investment today and you can export and to invest in the Czech Republic tomorrow. We are open; we want to destroy business barriers. We are sure that openness and cooperation will be rewarding for all of us. Nowadays the Czech Republic forms a part of the European Union, a part of large market of nearly half a billion of consumers. We belong among countries which want to liberalize that market, as far as internal and external relations are concerned. This is a chance for Vietnamese businessmen. We politicians are destroying barriers. We are creating conditions for business. We are signing agreements. You are engaged in business. Get down to work.