Ambassadors at FSS: British ambassador puts emphasis on the importance of energy self-sufficiency and combating disinformation

The British ambassador and former Assistant Private Secretary to the Prince of Wales visited the Faculty of Social Studies last week. Nick Archer, a diplomat with many years of experience in international politics, talked with the students of the Department of International Relations and European Studies and discussed the current world events as well as what it is like to be a diplomat. “I hope that by the end of this course, those who manage to attend every lecture will have a better feel for diplomacy. Not only as a matter of studies, but also as a career to be followed,” says the British diplomat about the course How do they see us? The Czech Republic and its European partners.

How would you evaluate the Czech-British relations?

They are good. I think every ambassador would say that, but they really are. Even though our history and perspective are radically different, we tend to think the same way about most of the big questions of the day. During my four years here, I have also noticed that we generally have a similar sense of humor. Such small similarities can be beneficial for mutual relations.

Last spring, The Czech Security Services found out that the explosions of ammunition depots in Vrbětice were caused by Russian agents. The same ones who tried to kill Sergei Skripal in Salisbury. Do you think that this case has strengthened the relations between our countries?

Definitely. You might say it is rather unfortunate, but I do think that when Russia misbehaves, it tends to bring us closer together. We have seen this happen before and now we are witnessing it again with Ukraine. In a perfect world, it would be nice if something also positive brought us together.

The incident between the footballers Kúdela and Kamara was also heavily discussed in media. Did this somehow shake up the mutual relations?

I think that racism is never a minor issue, but I also think that it had no impact whatsoever on the relationship between our countries.

And what about Brexit, did it influence the relationship between our countries?

There surely was a bumpy period as we made the transition. As any change in life, Brexit created tensions between the two countries and that is entirely natural. There are still things that need to be sorted out this year, but I do think that the response to the situation in Ukraine has shown that despite Brexit, we are united. People are still travelling to our country and they are still trading with us. Our relationship with the Czech Republic is changing, but change does not have to be bad. We just have to get used to it.

I am very concerned about the information war

You often draw attention to environmental topics, and you have participated in projects like Planeta v nouzi. Today, the prices of energy and fuel are rapidly rising. Do you think this can help the debate about the transition to renewable sources or does it do the opposite?

I get very angry when people start using the rise of prices of fossil fuels as a reason for slowing down the green transition. In this atmosphere of extreme instability that we have experienced for the past few years, we need to keep our storage stocks up and not depend on other countries. Having solar panels or little windmills makes me independent as an individual. And that is where we need to get as nations as well. In Britain, I think that everyone agrees that what we are seeing now is yet another reason for making this transition quicker.

I suppose you are talking about the situation in Ukraine. The United Kingdom and the Czech Republic both condemned the attack. However, the war is continuing despite the response of the Western countries. What should be the next steps of the West against Russia?

I think we are doing all the right things. The question is whether we can do them more effectively. Primarily, we need to stay united and not criticize each other. Many criticized Joe Biden for his words. That is not right. We need to support the Ukrainians unanimously and give them what they need, which is mainly military equipment. What I am very concerned about as a diplomat, though, is the information war. We need to be more effective in dealing with this issue.

What steps would you suggest?

We have to accept the fact that this phenomenon of disinformation exists, learn how to respond fast and debunk the misleading narratives as quickly as possible. It is good to hear that disinformation webs are being shut down, but that is only one of the many steps we have to take. We need to focus on the disinformation that Russians send out into the developing world. Russia is playing with themes like colonialism and soviet aid. It is a very persuasive narrative, and it is very complicated for us to try and tackle that. We need to make a huge effort to get the simple truth out.

The relations with Russia are not going to be the same

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has been going on for more than a month now. In your opinion, what can be the possible satisfying outcome of this conflict?

In the end, this is about Ukraine’s sovereignty and territory. Therefore, the satisfying outcome is the one that satisfies the Ukrainian government. The current Ukrainian view represented by Zelensky is that Russians simply have to leave the country completely, including the areas of Donbas and Crimea. So that is what we are going for.

How will the relations with Russia after the war differ from the pre-war ones?

It is very difficult to imagine going back to a relationship that existed two years ago when we know what this regime has done. The Russian economy is small, but it is a huge country with a huge population and it also possesses nuclear weapons. We have to establish a new relationship that will take into account the many crimes that Russia continues to commit. The International Criminal Court is trying to assemble evidence to back this up and I expect that some charges will be laid. You do not invade your neighboring country just because you feel like it. This will not be forgotten.