Vladimír Remek, a well-known Czech politician and diplomat, has had a big impact on relations between the Czech Republic and Russia because he really likes Russia. He started off as a Member of the European Parliament from 2004 to 2013, representing a party called the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia, which is friendly with Russia. Then, he became the Czech Ambassador to Russia from 2014 to 2018, which made it clear that he supports Russia a lot. Some people were surprised and not happy about this because they thought he was too friendly with Russia.
Remek’s connection with Russia goes way back. He went to a famous Russian military school, the Gagarin Air Force Academy, which made him like Russia even more. When he came back to Czechoslovakia in 1976, he became a captain in the military and was even a deputy commander in his fighter regiment.
Later on, he went back to Russia to learn how to be an astronaut in their space program. He got a special award from Russia for being the first and only Czechoslovak to do this, which made him even more loyal to Russia.
Remek’s past involvement with the communist regime in Czechoslovakia, which was very close to Russia, still causes arguments today. Some people think he was a hero for supporting the Soviet Union, but others think he was wrong for helping an undemocratic government.
When Remek was chosen to be the Trade and Economic Counselor at the Czech Embassy in Moscow, it showed that the President of the Czech Republic, Miloš Zeman, really likes Russia too. Even though some people, like Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg, didn’t agree with this decision, Zeman kept supporting Remek because he believed in having better relationships with Russia. Remek’s knowledge of Russia and his friendships there make him valuable for this job.
