Czechs should learn to be patriots, says Prime Minister Andrej Babiš

Prague, Oct 8 (CTK) – Czechs should follow other nations’ example and learn to be genuine patriots, Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO) said at the Prague conference with a motto “30 years of growth,” presenting the Czech Republic in harmony with his government’s campaign as a “country for the future.”

In a way, the Czech Republic is returning to the inter-war period as the times when people had visions, he said in his speech.

Czechs should be proud of their country, also thanks to the potential that rests in Czech citizens, Babis continued, mentioning Czech successful technological firms such as Avast.

The government has been promoting the project “Czech Republic – A Country for Future.”

According to Babiš, Czechia’s ambition is to become the leader of innovations in Europe and join the internationally successful countries that support science, research and innovations, such as Finland, Switzerland and Denmark.

Babiš, who was finance minister in 2014-17 and became prime minister in 2017, said the previous Czech governments had no visions, as the incomplete motorway and high-speed-railway infrastructure shows.

Babiš previously said the national innovation strategy is based on nine programme pillars including the state support for start-ups, education and research, digitisation and technological development.

Industry and Trade Minister Karel Havlicek (for ANO) said the state spending on research and innovation is to reach the record 37 billon crowns, one billion more than in 2019 and 3.5 billion more than in 2018.

rtj/dr/kva