During the visit of President of India H.E. Mr Ram Nath Kovind to the Czech Republic in September 2018, a MoU was signed between Tatra Trucks and BEML. Tatra vehicles that are assembled in India by BEML are also supplied to the Indian armed forces. Classic Legends India Pvt. Ltd., part of the Mahindra Group, signed a deal in 2016 whereby the former will have the rights to sell products under the Jawa brand in India and in other South Asian nations. Jawa motorcycles had grown to become a household name in India in the 1960s and 1970s.

Czech Republic also remains among the most peaceful countries in the world—it was seventh in the Global Peace Index (GPI) rankings of 2018, a highly-regarded list topped by Iceland. The GPI is produced by the Institute for Economics and Peace in consultation with think tanks. Perhaps as a direct result of the reputation it has built up as a safe destination, the number of tourist arrivals from India and its neighbors to the Czech Republic has escalated significantly. Besides events such as Czech Republic—Land of Stories B2B Mission, organized by the Embassy of the Czech Republic in New Delhi jointly with Czech Tourism, have helped travel agents, hotel representatives and others from the field of tourism on both sides to meet up and form strong business ties.

Hope you like navigating through this special issue.

(sayantanc@gmail.com)