Ottawa – Mary Ng, Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development, met with Jozef Síkela, Czechia’s Minister of Trade and Industry. In their meeting, Minister Ng thanked Minister Síkela for Czechia’s strong and continued support for Ukraine and underscored the need for further collaboration among like-minded countries over the longer term against Russia’s aggression in Ukraine. Minister Ng noted Canada’s strong trade and investment ties with Czechia and the potential for growth in the clean tech and energy sectors. Minister Ng discussed ways to encourage businesses in Canada and Czechia to take advantage of the trade benefits provided under the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA). Czechia was one of the first EU member economies to ratify CETA. Trade between Canada and Czechia has increased by nearly 70% to $1.2 billion from pre-CETA levels.