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Czechoslovakia Relations with Noncommunist Nations and Multilateral Ties
In the spirit of detente of the 1970s, Czechoslovakia
expanded and improved its relations with many noncommunist
nations. These efforts were hindered by memories of the 1968
invasion, which continued to be condemned by virtually every
nation outside the Soviet orbit. Another hindrance that appeared
in the latter half of the decade and continued adversely to
affect Czechoslovak foreign relations in the 1980s was its poor
human rights record. Its repression of dissent, especially
regarding Charter 77, brought wide condemnation from the
noncommunist world and some Eurocommunists. Despite these
problems, important strides were made in some areas. An
improvement of relations with its two noncommunist neighbors,
West Germany and Austria, was perhaps the most important step
forward in Czechoslovak foreign policy during the decade.
Czechoslovak relations with West Germany have in many
respects mirrored the state of East-West relations since World
War II. The cold war and East German sensitivities precluded any
diplomatic thaw until the late 1960s, when the Soviet Union began
to promote contact between its allies and the West. Consultation
between Czechoslovakia and West Germany began in October 1970 but
proceeded slowly, largely because of differing views as to how to
nullify the Munich Agreement, a source of Czechoslovak bitterness
since 1938. A treaty was signed in December 1973 and implemented
in July 1974 that declared the Munich Agreement immoral and null
and void; proclaimed the territorial integrity of both countries
and renounced the use of force or threats; and called for the
development of cooperation in economy, science, technology,
culture, antipollution measures, sports, and transportation. A
long-term agreement was concluded in January 1975 covering
economic, industrial, and technical cooperation, and a treaty on
cultural cooperation was signed in April 1978.
Although these documents provided a framework for a wide
range of improvements in relations, their implementation
progressed slowly. Trade between the two countries increased
(West Germany was Czechoslovakia's largest noncommunist trading
partner), but disagreements continued to hinder political
relations. In April 1978 the governments agreed that their
foreign ministers would meet at least once a year, but meetings
scheduled for 1979 and 1980 were canceled because of West German
protests over trials of Czechoslovak human rights advocates and
the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in December 1979. When the
foreign ministers were finally able to meet in December 1980,
international affairs prevailed over bilateral matters. Despite
the fact that both parties expressed a desire to improve
bilateral relations. The main subjects for discussion were the
issues of detente, arms control, and concern for the territorial
integrity of Poland. At a February 1983 meeting of foreign
ministers, the deployment of new missiles in Western Europe and
environmental protection were the principal topics discussed.
Relations with Austria, Czechoslovakia's neutral neighbor to
the south, warmed considerably during the mid- and late 1970s. A
December 1974 property-law settlement resolved claims that had
severely damaged relations since World War II and paved the way
for the raising of diplomatic relations to the embassy level. The
March 1979 visit of Austria's president was the first
presidential-level visit between the nations since the 1920s.
Nevertheless, two years later a variety of problems continued to
strain relations. These included the question of the reunion of
families of Czechoslovak exiles in Austria, Austrian criticism of
Czechoslovakia's treatment of dissidents, and a reported trade
imbalance caused by the low quality of Czechoslovak exports.
In 1981 a planned visit to Austria by Husak was canceled
because of Austrian objections to Czechoslovakia's treatment of
Charter 77 members and the revelation that Czechoslovakia had
sent intelligence agents to spy on Czechoslovak exiles in
Austria. The visit eventually took place the following year, but
Czechoslovak-Austrian relations remained difficult as new
tensions arose. In a 1984 border incident, for example,
Czechoslovak border guards mortally wounded a defector after he
had reached Austrian soil and left him to die without notifying
Austrian authorities. At a 1985 meeting, the Czechoslovak and
Austrian foreign ministers agreed to work to improve relations.
The following year, Austria's president visited Czechoslovakia,
where he discussed with Husak efforts to establish closer
bilateral ties.
Relations between Czechoslovakia and the United States had
been very good during the interwar period of the First Republic.
These relations were based on trade between two economically
advanced nations, political affinities between the two
democracies, and the presence of a large number of Czechoslovak
immigrants and their descendants in the United States. After
1948, however, relations deteriorated rapidly, partly because of
disagreements over the compensation for the property owned by
Americans but seized or nationalized by the Czechoslovak
government. Relations were somewhat better in the area of family
reunification. Here, the United States succeeded in securing exit
visas for some Czechoslovak citizens wishing to emigrate to the
United States to join their families. Trade relations were
modest, and it was anticipated that there would be no trade
agreement until claims were settled. In the late 1980s, bilateral
relations remained strained because of United States criticism of
Prague's continued repression of human rights activists.
Bilateral relations with the rest of the noncommunist world
focused on trade matters. After Western Europe, some of
Czechoslovakia's most significant noncommunist trading partners
included India, Iraq, and Indonesia. Politically,
Czechoslovakia's relations with noncommunist nations mirrored the
Soviet Union's relations with those same nations. For example,
Czechoslovakia firmly aligned itself with the Arab cause against
Israel in the Middle East and with black nationalists against
South Africa.
Czechoslovakia's most important multilateral ties are with
the member states of the Soviet-dominated Comecon and Warsaw
Pact. In addition, Czechoslovakia is a founding member of the
United Nations and has acted as an active proponent of the causes
of the Soviet Union and its followers within that body. During
1978 and 1979 it served as a member of the Security Council. It
has also been an active member of a large number of United
Nations specialized agencies, including the International Labor
Organization; the United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization; the World Health Organization; the Food
and Agriculture Organization; and many others. Czechoslovakia
also participates in the work of the United Nations Conference on
Trade and Development and is a member of the General Agreement on
Tariffs and Trade. Czechoslovakia participates with other Warsaw
Pact members, the nations of Western Europe, and the United
States in efforts to institutionalize East-West detente,
including the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe
and the Mutual and Balanced Force Reduction negotiations.
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Of the few English-language books on Czechoslovak politics
published during the 1980s, one that provides a good overview of
Czechoslovak politics and government is Czechoslovakia:
Profile of a Socialist Republic at the Crossroads of Europe
by David W. Paul. In general, information on Czechoslovakia's
internal politics and especially on its foreign relations is
found in specific chapters of books on East European relations.
For example, chapters in Soviet-East European Relations by
Robert L. Hutchings and Soviet Influence in Eastern Europe
by Christopher D. Jones address both domestic and foreign policy
issues.
The best information sources for current events in
Czechoslovakia are the Radio Free Europe Research Situation
Report: Czechoslovakia, the Joint Publications Research
Service East Europe Report, and the Foreign Broadcast
Information Service Daily Report: Eastern Europe. The
Radio Free Europe Research bulletins provide analyses of current
events, as well as detailed background reports on political
affairs. The East Europe Report and Daily Report:
Eastern Europe include translations of broadcast
announcements and important articles from key newspapers and
journals currently published in Czechoslovakia. Finally, the
United States Central Intelligence Agency Directory of
Czechoslovak Officials is a valuable reference aid and is
updated periodically. (For further information and complete
citations,
see
Bibliography.)
Data as of August 1987
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