Media & Publications

Roundtable “Yemen Entangled: Discussing the Current Dynamics”

Roundtable “Yemen Entangled: Discussing the Current Dynamics”

Prague Centre from Middle East Relations (PCMR) of CEVRO organized a closed roundtable “Yemen Entangled: Discussing the Current Dynamics” with Nadwa al-Dawsari, non-resident scholar at the Middle East Institute (MEI) and a fellow at the Center on Armed Groups.

Meet Our New Research Fellow at PCMR Filip Sommer

Meet Our New Research Fellow at PCMR Filip Sommer

We are excited to announce that Filip Sommer has recently joined our team as a research fellow at Prague Centre for Middle East Relations (PCMR) of CEVRO. His research focuses on Kurdish politics, Middle East security, economic and political issues especially in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon.

Roundtable “Iraq’s Oil and Gas Sector from Regional Perspective”

Roundtable “Iraq’s Oil and Gas Sector from Regional Perspective”

Prague Centre from Middle East Relations (PCMR) of CEVRO organized a closed roundtable “Iraq’s Oil and Gas Sector from Regional Perspective: Prospects and Setbacks” with Mohammed Hussein, Senior Analyst at Iraqi Oil Report and Senior Expert in the Iraqi Economists Network.

Participation at a closed roundtable “Czechia’s Engagement in Africa: An Issue of Geopolitics?”

Participation at a closed roundtable “Czechia’s Engagement in Africa: An Issue of Geopolitics?”

Vojtěch Bílý, Research Fellow of Prague Prague Centre for Middle East Relations (PCMR) of CEVRO Institute participated at a closed roundtable entitled “Czechia’s Engagement in Africa: An Issue of Geopolitics?.” The event was held on May 16, 2023 the sidelines of the annual conference “Multilateral Czechia” organized by the Institute for International Affairs (IIR) in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic.

Participation at a conference “EU-Turkey Relations in the Context of Russian Aggression”

Participation at a conference “EU-Turkey Relations in the Context of Russian Aggression”

Tomáš Kaválek, Director of Prague Centre for Middle East Relations (PCMR) of CEVRO Institute participated as a speaker on the conference entitled “EU-Turkey Relations in the Context of Russian Aggression.” The event was held at the Institute of International Relations (IIR) in Prague on October 24, 2022 and was co-organized by the Economic Development Foundation of Turkey.

Policy Paper “Yet Another Turkish Operation in Syria: Ankara’s Wishful Thinking or a Real Possibility?”

Policy Paper “Yet Another Turkish Operation in Syria: Ankara’s Wishful Thinking or a Real Possibility?”

Ramazan Ozel from the Prague Centre for Middle East Relations (PCMR) published a policy paper entitled “Yet Another Turkish Operation in Syria: Ankara’s Wishful Thinking or a Real Possibility?”
The paper analyzes the potential next Turkish military operation in northern Syria in the context of Turkish domestic politics and Turkey’s ties with the US, Russia, and other international actors and armed groups in Syria.

Policy Paper “The Pivotal Role of the Pro-Kurdish Party HDP in Turkish Politics”

Policy Paper “The Pivotal Role of the Pro-Kurdish Party HDP in Turkish Politics”

Ramazan Ozel from the Prague Centre for Middle East Relations (PCMR) published a policy paper entitled “The Pivotal Role of the Pro-Kurdish Party HDP in Turkish Politics.” The paper analyzes the current role of Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) in Turkish politics in the context of upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections.

Policy Paper “Erbil Missile Attack: A Repeated Policy and Continued Attack”

Policy Paper “Erbil Missile Attack: A Repeated Policy and Continued Attack”

Ziryan Rojhelati from the Rudaw Research Centre in Erbil published a policy paper for the Prague Centre for Middle East Relations (PCMR) on the latest Iranian missile attack that has taken place in Erbil, Kurdistan Region of Iraq entitled”Erbil Missile Attack: A Repeated Policy and Continued Attack.”

Article “Why so many Kurds are leaving Iraq’s KRG?”

Article “Why so many Kurds are leaving Iraq’s KRG?”

Tomáš Kaválek from Prague Centre for Middle East Relations (PCMR) of CEVRO Institute published an article “Why so many Kurds are leaving Iraq’s KRG?” for Zenith magazine exploring migration push factors from Iraqi Kurdistan. Iraqi Kurds are among many illegal migrants stranded on Poland-Belarus border.

Interview for CEVRO ARENA with Hiwa Osman on Iraqi Elections

Interview for CEVRO ARENA with Hiwa Osman on Iraqi Elections

Hiwa Osman, a prominent Iraqi Kurdish journalist and former advisor to Iraq president visited Prague upon the invitation from Prague Centre for Middle East Relations (PCMR) of CEVRO Institute. Tomáš Kaválek, Director of PCMR interviewed him for CEVRO ARENA on early elections in Iraq, weakinening Iranian influence or building trust in the new electoral process.

Interview “On Life and Work in Iraqi Kurdistan and Turkey” for Czech Radio Plus

Interview “On Life and Work in Iraqi Kurdistan and Turkey” for Czech Radio Plus

Tomáš Kaválek from the Center for Middle East Relations (PCMR) of the CEVRO Institute gave an extensive interview about his experiences of living, working and researching in the Middle East for Czech Radio Plus in the programme Hovory s Ondřejem Novákem. Tomáš talked about (not only) the Kurdish question in Iraq and Turkey, about the hopes and problems these countries face, and about the pitfalls of research work in problematic regions.

Article “The Fate of the Shayta’at Tribe in the Syrian War”

Article “The Fate of the Shayta’at Tribe in the Syrian War”

Tomáš Kaválek from the Center for Middle East Relations (PCMR) of the CEVRO Institute published an article “The Fate of the Shayta’at Tribe in the Syrian War” for Natbase.cz. The text shows the moving story of the Arab Shaytaat tribe, which faced a massacre by the Islamic State in 2014.

2020
Article “China’s ‘Belt and Road’ Economic Diplomacy in the Persian Gulf: Strategic Hedging amidst Saudi–Iranian Regional Rivalry”

Article “China’s ‘Belt and Road’ Economic Diplomacy in the Persian Gulf: Strategic Hedging amidst Saudi–Iranian Regional Rivalry”

Radka Havlová of Prague Centre for Middle East Relations (PCMR) of CEVRO Institute with Jeremy Garlick of University of Economics in Prague published an article in the Journal of Current Chinese Affairs titled “China’s ‘Belt and Road’ Economic Diplomacy in the Persian Gulf: Strategic Hedging amidst Saudi–Iranian Regional Rivalry”.    

Interview about Iranian retaliation for the killing of General Suleimani

Interview about Iranian retaliation for the killing of General Suleimani

Iran responded to the killing of Suleimani with a missile attack on coalition bases in Iraq. The likelihood of escalation or de-escalation between US and Tehran, and the impact on stability in Iraq were described by Tomáš Kaválek of Centre for Middle East Relations (PCMR) of CEVRO Institute for Czech Radio Plus

2019
Interview “The Never-ending Turkish-Kurdish Conflict”

Interview “The Never-ending Turkish-Kurdish Conflict”

Tomáš Kaválek of Prague Centre for Middle East Relations (PCMR) described the roots and current state of the so-called Kurdish problem and the conflict between the Turkish government and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), as well as in the context of events in Syria in an extensive interview for DefenceNews.sk.

Policy Paper “Protests in Lebanon: The Rebirth of the Lebanese Unity”

Policy Paper “Protests in Lebanon: The Rebirth of the Lebanese Unity”

Jana Samadová of Faculty of Social Sciences of Charles University published a policy paper for Prague Centre for Middle East Relations (PCMR) of CEVRO Institute “Protests in Lebanon: The Rebirth of the Lebanese Unity” concerning development in Lebanon in the context of ongoing popular protests.

Interview on Ongoing Turkish Operation in Northeast Syria for Czech Radio Plus

Interview on Ongoing Turkish Operation in Northeast Syria for Czech Radio Plus

Tomáš Kaválek of Prague Centre for Middle East Relations (PCMR) of CEVRO Institute gave an interview on ongoing Turkish operation in northeast Syria for Czech Radio Plus. Turkey’s operation in north-eastern Syria continues despite international criticism. Meanwhile, the US have announced their intention to withdraw troops from northeast Syria.

Policy Paper “Violent Protests in Hit Iraq Weakening Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi”

Policy Paper “Violent Protests in Hit Iraq Weakening Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi”

Tomáš Kaválek of Prague Centre for Middle East Relations (PCMR) of CEVRO Institute published a policy paper “Violent Protests in Hit Iraq Weakening Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi.” Demonstrators mainly demand improvement of public services, tackling corruption and providing job opportunities. These events weaken PM Adel Abdul Mahdi’s position.

Interview on Summit in Ankara between Russia, Iran and Turkey fro RTV.sk

Interview on Summit in Ankara between Russia, Iran and Turkey fro RTV.sk

Tomáš Kaválek of Prague Centre for Middle East Relations (PCMR) commented on the Ankara summit for RTV.sk. Another round of Astana talks between Russia, Iran and Turkey. All three countries have different interests in Syria, not only with regard to the fate of the last rebel bastion in Idlib.

Interview on PM Babiš’ Visit to Turkey and his Meeting with President Erdoğan fro Aktuálně.cz

Interview on PM Babiš’ Visit to Turkey and his Meeting with President Erdoğan fro Aktuálně.cz

Tomáš Kaválek of Prague Centre for Middle East Relations (PCMR) of CEVRO Institute gave an interview on PM Babiš’ visit to Turkey and his meeting with president Erdoğanem for Aktuálně.cz. The main topic of the visit was the issue of the unfinished Yunus Emre lignite power plant, in which the Czech Republic has invested up to 12bn CZK. Babiš also discussed with the Turkish president the situation of two Czechs, Markéta Všelichová and Miroslav Farkas.

Launching of Prague Centre for Middle East Relations (PCMR)

Launching of Prague Centre for Middle East Relations (PCMR)

Prague Centre for Middle East Relations (PCMR) was established in September 2019 as an internal research and education institution of the CEVRO Institute. PCMR is based in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. Its main aim is to further enhance in-depth understanding of the contemporary political, security, social and economic developments in the Middle East.