We work together—a brief history of Czech-Indian relations

Good relations between the Czech Republic and the Republic of India can be dated back to the time of pre-independent India. Indology as a subject was founded in Czechoslovakia and the first Indo-Czech Association was founded by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose in 1934 even before the WW II Indian leader Jawaharlal Nehru visited Czechoslovakia many times.

With the Indian independence, Czechoslovakia was one of the first countries to officially recognize the Republic of India and establish diplomatic relations. Many Indian ministers visited Czechoslovakia in the years after. The Czechoslovakian motorcycles Jawa were produced in India under the mark Yezdi which can still be found in Indian households. Many Czechoslovakian factories were built in India. The Czechoslovak Indologists also visited India many times since its independence. In 1964 an economic treaty was signed between the two governments on providing a loan to India for huge investment boost, and in 1972 Prague hosted the visit of the Indian Prime Minister Mrs Indira Gandhi. Bilateral trade was growing and many Indian Presidents visited Prague.

Even after the foundation of the Czech Republic, the relations between both the nations continue to flourish. Czech companies such as Skoda and Bata built more and more factories and are appreciated by Indians for their quality. On the other hand, every year more and more Indian tourists visited the Czech Republic and in the last year both nations had a business of approximately USD 1.5 billion in the bilateral trade. Only the future can tell how great will be the partnership between the Czech Republic and India.