The news of the Ukrainian businessman, Oleksandr Tymoshenko, husband of the jailed ex-prime minister, winning political asylum in the Czech Republic made headlines in the local and Ukrainian printed media. Not surprisingly, the news was received differently by Yulia Tymoshenko’s supporters and opponents in Ukraine. Surprisingly, media and political responses varied in the Czech Republic. Jiri Paroubek, ex-Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, leader of the newly established party, National Socialists-21st Century Left, tagged the government’s decision to grant political asylum to Oleksandr Tymoshenko as cynical. The popular Prague-based periodical Dnes noted that there were asylum waiting lists that numbered years, whereas Oleksandr Tymoshenko won it in a matter of weeks.
Below is an interview with Jaroslav PESEK, a noted Czech publicist and businessman who specializes in advising Czech businesses on the Ukrainian market, Ukrainian business partners, and inland investment opportunities.
“It is believed in my country that the interior ministry granted [Oleksandr Tymoshenko] asylum without consulting the Foreign Minister, Karel Schwarzenberg, who was outraged by this decision and said that it would have a negative effect on the relationships between his country and Ukraine. In fact, for reasons best known to themselves, the Czech printed media never raised the issue of his [i.e., Oleksandr Tymoshenko’s] guilt, whether or not he was on APB. All our newspapers wrote was that he is the husband of the jailed ex-prime minister, that he has [an interest in] a company duly registered in my country 12 years ago, that he owns a home, which means that he must have a long-term entry visa, like all Ukrainians who wanted to start in business in the Czech Republic. By the way, my wife has such a visa, so she can travel to my country. The question is, ‘Why did he apply for political asylum?’ His legal status allowed him to visit and stay in my country any time, for as long as he wished. Why political asylum as the highest level of protection? After he left Ukraine and arrived in the Czech Republic, he could stay here, work and live in his house if he didn’t want to return to Ukraine, for fear that his personal safety could be endangered. There was nothing in the Ukrainian media about any charges pressed against Yulia Tymoshenko’s husband, let alone about him being on a wanted list… Also, an asylum applicant usually has to wait for several weeks, if not months, for the application to be processed and decided upon. In his case everything happened so fast there was no time to consult the foreign ministry. Oleksandr Tymoshenko has a business in the Czech Republic. He has friends — good old business partners — in the government quarters. He organizes a Eurasian Chamber of Commerce. Apparently a cover, but for what? His winning political asylum is a signal, considering that he would have no problems traveling across the Czech Republic and other Schengen countries.”
Czech media offered a critical comment on political asylum being granted to the husband of the ex-prime minister of Ukraine. Zbynek Petracev, of the Lidove Noviny, wondered about Oleksandr Tymoshenko as a possible member of a group that included the Mann Brothers who were granted political asylum in Czechoslovakia, in the 1930s.
“That’s right. Newspapers tend to make their own analyses. They write that the man has had nothing to do with politics. Nothing about who paid for [Yulia] Tymoshenko’s roller-coaster political career and how. What do we know about this man? Each and every political party or movement has a team that makes a certain policy possible rather than waging it. I think Oleksandr Tymoshenko did just that, although nothing has been written, no one has broached the fund-raising issue.”
There are media reports about 14,000 Ukrainian nationals who have applied for asylum in the Czech Republic over the past 20 years, and that only 170 have won it. Why so few?
“The law on foreign nationals residing in the Czech Republic reads that political asylum is granted provided the applicant meets certain requirements. That’s why it is called political asylum. When Chechens applied for asylum and received it, they couldn’t return home because of the war in Chechnya. We say that Ukraine is our partner, we communicate with your leadership. In this context granting political asylum to an individual is a separate case. People know about his wife being mistreated in prison and they tend to assume that he is also endangered. Yet there is no evidence of any criminal charges pressed against him in Ukraine.”
How would you explain the fact that so many Ukrainians apply for asylum in the Czech Republic?
“There are some 200,000 Ukrainians residing in the Czech Republic. Some of them want to stay, of course. I think applying for political asylum is another way to make their status legit. There are quite a few ethnic Ukrainian nonprofit organizations and a journal which is published using government support. However, I can’t think of a single political movement in Central Europe capable of waging a serious campaign against Ukraine’s current illegitimate administration. Yes, there is Danylyshyn in Prague. He has interesting websites in Ukrainian, but the man’s impact on the Czech public is next to nil. Danylyshyn set up office on Politickych Veznu [Political Prisoners] Street. I like it, I find it symbolic. In fact the building he rents is opposite the one the Nazis used as Gestapo HQ during WW II, where they tortured Julius Fucik.”
Are there any differences between Ukrainian immigration today and back in the 1920s?
“There are newspaper articles that compare the current situation with that in the 1920s-1930s. Prague was a Ukrainian immigration center at the time. It hosted Ukrainian higher schools and other institutions. The Ukrainian movement was very active, producing such personalities as Olena Teliha, people who would fight for Ukrainian national independence. Regrettably, there is no way to compare those immigrants to the ones we have today. To begin with, the Czech public has a vague idea about the Batkivshchyna [Fatherland] party [that supports Yulia Tymoshenko]. People can’t figure out its leftist/rightist orientation — and I think the same is true of Ukraine.”
From what I know, back in the 1920s the government of Czechoslovakia granted asylum to over 20,000 Ukrainians. Why?
“There is a book published in the Czech Republic. It is about that period in history, about Ukrainian emigres. At the time, Prague was a Western Slavic-oriented city, a haven for tourists and immigrants. In the 1920s-1930s, Czechoslovakia was practically the only democratic country in Central Europe. I guess this explains its attractiveness. At present we have an influx of Ukrainians and Russians. In fact, Russian immigrants rank first. There are some 12,000 Russian firms registered in the Czech Republic.”
How would you explain this?
“Getting your capital legit is simple once you have a business. That’s why so many Russian nationals come to my country. They are better off than Ukrainians; they want their dirty money stored in Karlovy Vary and Prague. Most of Ukrainians are plodders who are willing to do construction and other jobs shrugged off by indigenous manpower.
“Karlovy Vary is popularly referred to as a Russian city, considering that 40 percent of the local resorts have been bought by Russians. They feel at home there and propose to erect a monument to Peter I. Their conduct has a stronger impact on the Czech public, compared to that of the ethnic Ukrainian community. This situation may change eventually, but it is still there.”
How did Czech businesses respond to a Ukrainian businessman winning asylum [so fast]?
“Their attitude was markedly critical. They also pointed out the fact that there are no EU-Ukraine association and free trade area agreements. I represent some [Czech] businesses in Ukraine and I can see that this situation is slowing down our business here. Ukraine has done nothing to simplify the import/export and certification procedures, contrary to our expectations. These procedures have a tangible impact on trade.”
