The DR and the Czech Republic have begun negotiations towards an Agreement for the Mutual Protection of Investments that would stimulate bilateral trade, as reported in Diario Libre. A joint communique was signed by Foreign Relations Ministers Carlos Morales Troncoso and Cyril Svoboda, during a ceremony at the Ministry of Foreign Relations. Both ministers said the countries were committed to substantially increasing the flow of bilateral trade and to fostering private investment. They also expressed willingness to combine efforts against drug trafficking and terrorism.