Page:The Czechoslovak Review, vol4, 1920.pdf/97

Dr. Edward Beneš, the Czechoslovak Minister for Foreign Affairs has on December 25 made in “České Slovo” the following statement on Czech foreign policy, at the request of the editor of that paper:

At the present moment life is everywhere affected by the result of the present war. The main political questions for the peace have been fully or partially solved, and thus in all states they are being relegated to the background and replaced by economic and financial problems. These are assuming approximately the following forms in all states.

(1) The lack of raw materials for various branches of industry, and the active endeavour to procure raw materials quickly with the help of international credit.

(2) The consequence of this fact: the lack of particular goods, consequently very high prices in the case of these goods and a demand for them, unemployment in these branches and considerable outlay for the various States as grants for the unemployed or of those whose dwellings and factories have been destroyed by the war.

(3) The huge quantity of financial burdens from the period of the war, which now have to be liquidated and which the various States have difficulty in defraying at the present critical period.

(4) The interruption of the former foreign economic relations, the disorganization in the management of credit, and especially the breakdown of international credit relationships.

These problems everywhere penetrate to the very foundations of all States. The statesmen of the Entente are well aware of this, and therefore the Peace Conference have recently proceeded more with the consideration of the economic questions, from the solution of which the solution of the political problems would be derived more or less as a corollary. In this respect the problem of America and its relationship to Europe and the Peace Conference is assuming an important aspect. This was also the tendency of the last negotiations carried out at London; it is from this point of view, too, that the problem of the Adriatic and the economic position of Italy with regard to the rest of the Allies, and in particular her certain economic dependence, is being considered; and finally, it is in this direction that our views of the Russian problem are tending more and more.

The Peace Conference is today confronted with the problem of Central Europe especially in the form of an economic problem. I speak of Central Europe as a geographical whole, and not as a political or economic whole. The Allied Statesmen regard Central Europe as a series of small States and they are afraid that this implies what they call the Balkanization of all this portion of Europe and a perpetual menace to peace in the future. They see that satisfactory economic relations are everywhere and always the best means for cementing and consolidating States and social organisms, and they are specially concerned as to abrupt upheavals in these regions, as well as political changes which might make it impossible to carry out the terms of the peace of St. Germain. They therefore regard these questions especially as economic problems and hence, too, their endeavour is everywhere to bind these States together by economic ties.

Hence it is possible to explain the periodical endeavours at political confederation or economic union, hence the demands to assist Austria not only for humane reasons, but also for those of a general economic-political character.

The attitude of our foreign policy in these matters is clear.

Naturally our experts are today also concerned above all with our financial and economic problems. Our foreign policy must not only take into account the general tendencies of foreign policy abroad, but must also fully serve the interests of our domestic financial and economic needs.

In this respect we must refuse any unions and confederations, whether of a political or economic character. We must remain fully independent, and our relationships to our neighbours must be fixed by free discussions on individual problems relating to economic and commercial or transport affairs; our needs, our relationships and interests must here, of course, be fully taken into account. In this we must have regard only for the peace terms which we signed and to which we must loyally keep, and we must also have a fitting regard for the present Allied policy, and harmonize our interests with theirs in such a way that our Republic suffers no injury either internally or externally.

Geographically we are of course a part of this Central Europe. The conditions of today have assigned us a definite role there, a significant role, a brilliant and influential future. We must fulfill our role in the place where we are and where geographically we can contribute by our national activity towards the world’s general peace-endeavours.

In the “Short Stories from the Balkans”, translated by Mrs. Edna Worthley Underwood, there are also two Czech stories that somehow strayed into Balkan territory; one is “Brother Celestin” by Jaroslav Vrchlický, and the other is “Foolish Jona” by Jan Neruda.