Final Word from Tuesday, September 27, 2022

Labor Min. Marian Jurečka told Czech TV that the Fiala government is doing everything it can to reduce the country's dependence on Russian natural gas so that it isn't dependent on the biggest terrorist in the world. Securing LNG from other countries is part of this, he said. Yet some Czech energy experts, as well as some foreign news sources, say that part of the LNG that is making its way to Europe is in fact of Russian origin. Tomáš Prouza, a top adviser to Industry Min. Jozef Síkela, argued in Týdeník Echo last week that Czechs must refuse Russian blood money in general, just as we have stopped buying African blood diamonds. It would be hypocritical of Jurečka, Prouza and other government representatives to preach gas independence and then to allow ČEZ or someone else to buy Russian blood gas on the sly. Importing Russian LNG could be made a criminal act, and every tanker could be subject to mandatory chemical testing. Either that, or the hypocrisy could be toned down. [ Czech Republic Television Vladimir Putin KDU-ČSL STAN ]